Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates Limited

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Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates Limited Morecambe Bay Wills provide a friendly and affordable service in Morecambe and the surrounding areas. https://www.morecambebaywills.co.uk/ we are here to help!

Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates Limited was established in 2019 after founder Nicola Combe lost her husband to cancer. Our aim is to ensure that everyone has the right documents in place to give peace of mind and protection for family and assets. As fully trained, fully insured, Members of the Society of Will Writers, we offer peace of mind that you will get a comprehensive, service from our award winning team! Whether you need Wills, Powers of Attorney or Trusts, we are there to make it easy for you. And if you have lost someone and need help in your role as Executor, we can do that too. We offer appointments in our Lancaster office, in your home or via video for your convenience

Our prices are affordable (you can also pay in monthly payments) and discounts are available for those on low incomes and for those facing a diagnosis of cancer or dementia (both close to my heart).

5% from every invoices will be donated to 4 local charities to assist them in their ongoing work looking after local families. So far we have raised over £22,000 !!! We would love to help protect you, your family and your business. Call us for an initial friendly chat.

“It is never too early to put the right plans in place — but it can feel daunting knowing where to start.”Mr and Mrs P c...
16/10/2026

“It is never too early to put the right plans in place — but it can feel daunting knowing where to start.”

Mr and Mrs P came to us to arrange their Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. Like many people, they felt a little apprehensive about what would be involved at the outset.

Following their appointment with Andrea, they kindly shared:

“Your approach to our request has been very caring, considerate and professional.

We were a bit apprehensive about what was involved at the outset but you have made the process very smooth for us and for that we are most grateful.”

A Will and Lasting Powers of Attorney are important documents, but the process should not feel complicated or impersonal. Our role is to take the time to understand what matters to you, explain your options clearly and ensure that your wishes are properly recorded.

Thank you, Mr and Mrs P, for trusting Morecambe Bay Wills with your planning.

14/10/2026

Admittedly we have posted this video before, but still feel the topic is misunderstood.

Giving someone the right to stay in your home after you die can sound simple. It rarely is.

It may be an unmarried partner, an adult child or another person you want to protect — allowing them to remain in your home for a set period or for the rest of their life.

But this needs to be set out properly in your Will. A letter of wishes alongside it is not legally binding and cannot replace a formally drafted Right to Occupy Trust.

It is also important to understand the wider implications. Depending on how the trust is structured, a right to live in a property can affect inheritance tax and may have consequences for the additional residence nil-rate band. What appears to be a straightforward arrangement can have unintended effects for both the person remaining in the property and the people who eventually inherit it.

The right solution is not always the same for every family — which is why it is so important to talk through your individual circumstances before decisions are made.

At Morecambe Bay Wills, we will explain the options clearly, make sure you understand the consequences and help you put the right protections in place.
📞 01524 571032
✉️ [email protected]
💻 morecambebaywills.co.uk

What does a quarterly donation really mean?We found out in the loveliest way.Last week, we spent a lovely morning at Uni...
12/10/2026

What does a quarterly donation really mean?

We found out in the loveliest way.

Last week, we spent a lovely morning at Unique Kidz & Co, with the young children who come along to the weekly Stay and Play session and the young adults who volunteer there.

Georgia, from our admin team, even started learning Makaton from Rebecca.

Our latest donation of £723.50 has taken our total support for the charity past £7,000. Chris Pilkington then took the time to write to us, by hand, to say thank you.

Some of his words have stayed with us:

“What means so much to us is that your support goes far beyond the donations. You all have become familiar faces at Unique Kidz + Co.”

Chris told us our support helps them keep creating opportunities and experiences for the young people who come through their doors,

“giving them a place to spend time with friends, try new things and simply be themselves.”

That is exactly why we do this.

5% of every Will and Lasting Power of Attorney invoice goes to our chosen local charities. So every client who has trusted us with their planning has played a part in this.

Chris closed his letter with this:

“Thank you Team MBW, for continuing to be such a valued part of the Unique Kidz + Co family.”

The feeling is entirely mutual.

01524 571032

09/10/2026

Is there a local group you think deserves a little extra support?

The Morecambe Bay Wills Community Fund opened for nominations on 14th September 2026.

This year, we have put £15,000 into the fund, with grants of £250 and £500 available, and nominations are open all year round.

So far, we have received almost 50 nominations.

Reading about the work happening across our local area has been genuinely inspiring. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to tell us about a cause close to their heart.

Our first round of grants will be awarded at the end of October, so if you would like a group to be considered, please send your nomination in soon.

Anything received after this round is still very welcome. It will simply go forward to our next round in January.

Anyone can nominate. Groups just need to be local and have a bank account in their own name.

Nominate here:
https://www.morecambebaywills.co.uk/community-fund-nomination/

What happens when the Will is perfect, but nobody knows where the money is?A recent feature in Today's Wills & Probate s...
07/10/2026

What happens when the Will is perfect, but nobody knows where the money is?

A recent feature in Today's Wills & Probate shared the story of a daughter named as executor in her father's Will. The Will itself was fine. But she had no idea where he'd kept his savings or pensions, just a box of old letters and a laptop nobody could unlock. It took her around four months of letters and phone calls to piece it all together.

It's more common than you might think. Lost pension pots in the UK are now estimated at over £31 billion, and as more of us go paperless, the trail our families once followed simply isn't there.

A Will says who inherits. It doesn't always tell your executors what there is to inherit, or where to find it.

The answer is reassuringly simple. A plain list of who you bank with, your pension providers, investments and insurers. No figures needed, just names. It takes minutes to write, and it can save your family months.

When we meet, we'll talk this through with you alongside your Will, so the people you trust have everything they need. At home, by video or by telephone, with a fixed fee and no pressure.

If you'd like a friendly conversation, we're here.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

Source: Today's Wills & Probate, September 2026

Over half of UK adults don't have a Will.That's according to new research published in September by Today's Wills & Prob...
05/10/2026

Over half of UK adults don't have a Will.

That's according to new research published in September by Today's Wills & Probate.

The figures are eye-opening. 56% of UK adults have no Will in place, including 53% of those aged 50 to 64. 76% have made no plan for their digital assets, even though 91% of us now bank online.
And 47% believe they're covered by legal protections that simply don't exist.

We understand why. Talking about what happens when we die is never easy, and it's natural to put it off.

But the biggest cost is often the stress and uncertainty left for the people we love, at a time that's already hard enough.

With unused pensions expected to be included in estates for inheritance tax from April 2027, reviewing your pension nominations and keeping clear records is something your family will be grateful for. Even a simple note of your online accounts can make a real difference.

A Will doesn't need to be complicated. We'll come to you at home, or speak by video or telephone, with a fixed fee and no pressure, just a calm conversation about what matters to you.

If you'd like to talk things through, we're here.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

Source: Today's Wills & Probate, September 2026

02/10/2026

What does 5% of every Will and Lasting Power of Attorney look like?

In September, it looked like this.

Cerys, who looks after our clients across North Wales ( North Wales Wills ) as part of the Morecambe Bay Wills team, joined Disability Skiing Wales on the Llandudno Snowsports Centre ski slope to hand over their latest donation. With a little encouragement, she also took a turn in the adaptive ski chair herself.

Debs did the steering.
Cerys did the smiling.
Mostly.

Disability Skiing Wales is our nominated charity partner in North Wales. Every quarter, 5% of every Will and Lasting Power of Attorney invoice from North Wales Wills goes directly to them, and our Quarter Two donation came to £539.

That support helps people of all abilities get out on the slopes and share days like this one. The smiles in these photos say it far better than we can.

Thank you to everyone at Disability Skiing Wales for such a warm welcome, and to Cerys for being such a good sport.

And thank you to every client who has trusted us with their Will or Lasting Power of Attorney. You made this possible.

If you are in North Wales and would like to put your own plans in place, Cerys and the team can see you at home or by video.

01524 571032

30/09/2026

How long does Probate take?

It's the question that closes out our Probate series this week, and it's not one with a simple answer.

Once you apply for a Grant of Probate, the courts quote an average waiting time of around twelve weeks from application to certificate. For straightforward applications, we've genuinely seen this come back within a week or two. For more complex estates, particularly where information needs to go to HMRC, there's a minimum four-week review period on top.

But here's the part people often don't factor in: you can only submit the tax forms or the Probate application once all the information has been gathered. Getting property valuations, or details of stocks, shares and bank accounts, can take weeks or even months in itself. Only once that's all in hand can the application actually go in.

So while the twelve-week figure is a useful guide, the real timeline often depends on what happens before the application is even submitted.

That brings us to the end of this series — thank you for following along. If any of this has raised questions about your own situation, we're always happy to have a friendly, no-pressure conversation.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

28/09/2026

How much does Probate cost?

Following on from Friday's post about who applies for Probate, this is usually the very next question.

The honest answer is: it depends. If you handle the whole process yourself, there's no professional cost — just the court application fee, which currently stands at £526. That fee goes to His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service to review the application and issue the certificate that gives you legal authority to act.

Beyond that, costs vary depending on how much help you need. Some estates that look simple at first turn out to be more involved once you're into them, and many people choose to bring in professional support for some or all of the process. That might mean handing the whole thing over to a solicitor, or using a service like our own Executor Assistance, where we help gather the information and apply for the Grant of Probate, leaving you to manage the rest.

So the cost of Probate can range from just the court fee, right through to including professional support — and it really depends on the estate and how much help feels right for you.

To finish the series, on Wednesday we'll answer the other question that comes up just as often: how long does it actually take?

01524 571032 | [email protected]

25/09/2026

Who applies for Probate?

As we touched on earlier this week, having a Will doesn't always avoid the need for Probate. So who's actually entitled to apply for it?

If there's a Will, the answer is simple: the Executors named in it are the ones with the legal authority to apply for a Grant of Probate.

If there isn't a Will, things work a little differently. With no Will, there are no Executors — so instead, someone applies for Letters of Administration. It's still a type of Probate, just under a different name, and it's applied for by an administrator rather than an Executor. There's a strict order of who can take on that role, usually starting with a spouse, then children. One important thing to note: this is not something an unmarried partner is able to do.

Whichever route applies, a Grant of Probate and Letters of Administration are both known collectively as a Grant of Representation — the legal authority to represent the person who's died and administer their estate.

Next week, we'll move on to the question we get asked more than almost any other: how much does Probate actually cost?

01524 571032 | [email protected]

Address

5-2-7, The Gatehouse, White Cross Business Park, South Road
Lancaster
LA14XQ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm
Sunday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

01524 571032

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