v THE NEXT HERALD IS OUT ON 26TH JUNE v Page 68 • The HERALD • 5th June 2025 ASK A PROFESSIONAL Cases in Review - A Major Intestacy and a Minor Fortune Advice from Jasper Vincent Solicitors Many people will recall the sad death of the young musician Liam Payne last year aged only 31 falling from a hotel balcony whilst on holiday in Argentina. In May it came to light that he died without a Will. His estate, worth approximately £24million a er tax, has immediately become one of the most high pro le intestacies in the country. Like many young people in the UK, Liam Payne had simply never made a Will before. e statistics speak for themselves here: a study by Royal London suggests that 79% of people below age 34 in England have not made a Will and, staggeringly, over 50% of all UK adults have yet to do so. Liam had a girlfriend at the date of his death who inherits nothing under the rules of intestacy. e law skips unmarried partners if there is no Will, so the person inheriting the estate will be his young son Bear. Bear is aged only 8, leading to another issue: minors cannot inherit from an estate until they come of age. Whilst some children are responsible adults at 18, not all are. With this amount of money can you imagine how Bear might cope with suddenly inheriting this large estate at 18? So who can act for Bear until he reaches 18? I suspect that Liam’s parents would like to be involved in the administration of their son’s estate, but the answer is that it falls to Bear’s legal guardian to handle the work. at means Cheryl Tweedy, Liam Payne’s ex-girlfriend and Bear’s mother of former Girls Aloud fame has to handle the legal work. If the papers are to be believed, everyone seems to get on well for now. is is not always the case of course. If as parents you did not get on with your grandchildren’s surviving parent, this could lead to a nightmare. All of this could have been saved with even a simple Will to address the issues. For an initial consultation, feel free to contact our Senior Associate Solicitor Edward Kennard at Jasper Vincent’s Waterside o ce on: 023 8089 0919. £2m Donation Milestone Achieved On Foundation’s Tenth Anniversary Hays Travel Foundation has reached its £2m donation milestone, ten years a er being established to help young people reach their potential. Since 2015, the Hays Travel Foundation has worked with 353 registered charities to create opportunities for over 43,000 talented young people from socially and economically disadvantaged circumstances who need a little help to overcome barriers in order to develop and reach their full potential in their health, sport, the arts and education. Hays Travel Foundation Chair of Trustees, Dame Irene Hays, said: “Reaching this £2million milestone is a spectacular achievement. Our mission is to remove barriers and help young people to reach their potential across health, sport, the arts, and education. I am incredibly proud to have been able to support so many young people in the ten years since establishing the Hays Travel Foundation.” e majority of monies donated through the Foundation come directly from Hays Travel, which is the UK’s largest independent travel agent, with almost 500 branches across the UK. In addition to the Hays Travel Foundation, every Hays Travel branch receives a £500 budget annually to use for fundraising and charity work in their local area, of which £200 is to be allocated to causes that support young people’s mental health. Branches can also apply to the Foundation for match funding, doubling the donation to registered charities. In the last year to April 2025, Hays Travel donated £177,837 to local charities through its Local Community Partnership initiative across its retail network. Hays Travel Foundation reached its £1m donation milestone in 2022. anks to funding from the Hays Travel Foundation, 169 young people have been supported to start their Duke of Edinburgh Award. e funding, which supported expedition costs including equipment and clothing, as well as travel costs for volunteering and the tools to develop new skills, has made a signi cant impact on the lives of marginalised young people. One young person shared, “This is one of the best experiences I’ve had. Even though it was tough, I really enjoyed it.” e Duke of Edinburgh’s Award aims to support every young person to feel empowered, develop new skills, and build con dence and resilience to prepare for the future. It o ers life-changing experiences, meaningful connections, and a chance to give back through fun and varied activities. Images courtesy of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
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