The amount of money being written into wills that will eventually go to charities when people die has surged during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an online service.

Will-writing service Farewill said that in April, over £35 million-worth of charity donations were written into wills, up from £3.5 million in February and an average of £4 million per month in 2019.

In May and June, legacy donations at Farewill were on average still over £10 million collectively. 

International aid and religious causes also entered the top five charity causes amongst Farewill customers, replacing LGBT and environment-related issues. 

During the coronavirus pandemic five most popular causes people have been specifying they want to leave money to are: cancer, animals, health, international aid and religion. 

Dan Garrett, chief executive at Farewill, said: “Our customers are incredibly generous, and want to support charities that align with their own beliefs and values. Leaving a legacy donation is a really easy way of doing this - especially through our will-writing platform, where it literally takes seconds. It means these organisations will receive much-needed funding for years to come, and we’re really proud to make a difference in this space."

Mr Garrett continued: “It means these organisations will receive much-needed funding for years to come.”