Dear Members,
Happy New Year!
On behalf of all of us here at The Society of Will Writers, I’d like to welcome you into 2024 and wish you every success for the year ahead.
The team have now all returned to work after a short break for the holidays and after catching up with everyone yesterday, I can say for certain they’re energised and ready to take on all that lies ahead this year.
For those not in the loop, 2024 is set to be a huge one for the SWW with it being our 30th anniversary year. Rest assured there’s plenty of planning going on around how we will bring everyone together to celebrate the occasion with us, and we’ll begin to reveal the details of some of these plans over the next few weeks.
We also have this year’s SWW Conference to look forward to as well, which I’m pleased to confirm will take place on the 7th and 8th of October at The Hilton East Midlands Airport. As you would expect, planning for the event has been well underway since late last year and we’ll announce more details in due course. Get those dates in your diary now, because I want as many members there as possible this year!
If you missed the announcements around last year’s conference, 2024 will also see us tackle several of our key aims in the name of better supporting a more forward-thinking and modern profession. These include an update to the SWW branding and Code of Practice, both set to roll out to every member over the year, as well as further expansions to The College of Will Writing’s training programme and membership benefits offering.
No doubt we’ll have ample time to catch up and socialise in person over this year as well because you’ll be pleased to know that the team and I are already being booked into SWW Regional Group meetings and outside events such as The LSB’s Reshaping Legal Services Conference and The Probate Industry Awards, which I’m once more a judge for. We love being at these events and being out and about with members and our partners, so do get involved because everyone is welcome to participate and you get a great deal out of being involved with the SWW when such opportunities arise.
As for some internal news, with this new year, the SWW will now officially retire the use of the title Director General and some other administrative titles as well. As part of our ongoing modernisation exercise, these titles and job descriptions have all recently undergone an internal review to better reflect the individual holding the position and the responsibilities they have. For most of you, this will mean little more than spotting an update to our company literature, however, I ask that you please do look out for and respect the new titles being assumed by the team going forward.
I think it’s also important at the start of the year to remind everyone that all of us at the SWW are here to help and support you, so please do speak with us if there is anything you need. You can reach us either by contacting the team member you wish to speak with directly or if you’re not sure where best to address your query, use the details here and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Wishing you all the best once more for 2024,
Anthony Belcher
Managing Director
The Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners
