PEOPLE making their wills donated £10,000 to help keep public gardens open and free.

Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens, in Bocking End, were opened in 1888, and were a gift from the Courtauld family to the people of Braintree.

It now costs almost £30,000 a year to maintain them, which is raised by the volunteer trustees.

For one week in December, Holmes and Hills Solicitors in Braintree offered to write basic wills for free, in return for a donation to the garden’s charitable trust.

George Canvin, trustee and treasurer of the Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens Trust said: "The Trustees of Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens are extremely grateful to the group of solicitors at Holmes and Hills who gave their time freely to support the initiative.

“Almost 100 people took advantage of the offer made by Holmes and Hills to have their wills prepared for free in exchange for a donation to Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens Trust (B&BPGT).

“B&BPGT is a registered charity and is totally dependent upon public donations to maintain the gardens and the money raised by the solicitors goes a long way towards meeting this year’s expenses."

Andrew East, chartered legal executive of the private client team said making a will is important regardless of age.

He said: “We are very pleased to have been able to raise so much money for such a fantastic cause.

“As a will and probate specialist, people often ask me if there is a minimum age to make a will.

“People often have wrong perception that you should only make a will when you are in the final days of life. However, they are missing the important benefits of having a will prepared.”

He said benefits include being able to distribute your property, savings and investments how you wish and it is also useful for planning the impact of inheritance tax and appointing guardians for young children.