Legacies and Memories

Whether you choose to leave a gift in your Will or make a donation in memory of someone special, your support can create a lasting impact, helping fund pioneering eye research and offering hope to future generations

Leaving a legacy to Gift of Sight

Leaving a gift in your Will is a powerful way to support sight‑saving research for future generations.

Over two million people in the UK live with sight loss. At Gift of Sight, legacy gifts help fund pioneering eye research at the University of Southampton, investigating new treatments for sight loss and working towards the prevention of blindness for future generations. 

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Why leave a legacy to Gift of Sight?

Legacy gifts play a vital role in our work. They help us:

• Fund long‑term research projects
• Invest in new ideas and early‑stage studies
• Support the next generation of vision scientists

Many of the advances made by our researchers have been made possible thanks to the generosity and foresight of supporters who kindly remembered Gift of Sight in their Will.

Types of legacy gifts

Leaving a legacy is a personal decision, and we understand that family and loved ones must always come first. There are several ways to support Gift of Sight through a legacy gift, and your solicitor can advise on the option that is most appropriate for your circumstances.

It is possible to include a gift to charity alongside other commitments. If you already have a Will, you can make changes using a codicil, which allows you to amend your wishes without rewriting the entire document. In some cases, charitable gifts may also reduce the amount of Inheritance Tax payable.

The main types of legacy gift are:

• Residuary legacy – a percentage of what remains of your estate after all other gifts, costs and liabilities have been paid.
• Pecuniary legacy – a fixed sum of money.
• Specific legacy – a particular asset, such as shares, jewellery or property.
• Reversionary legacy – a gift that allows someone else to benefit from your assets during their lifetime, with the remaining value passing to Gift of Sight afterwards.

All gifts, whether large or small, can make a lasting difference.

Gifts in memory

Many families choose to support Gift of Sight by donating in lieu of flowers at the funeral of a loved one.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who chooses to support our research in this way. Your generosity helps fund vital eye research and creates a lasting memory.

If you would like funeral donations to be directed to Gift of Sight, they can be given online as a ‘Tribute’ via our Donate page. Alternatively, if you have funeral directors helping, please ask them to pass on gifts to:

The University of Southampton – Gift of Sight Appeal
Exempt Charity (HMRC reference number X19140)

We remember those honoured through donations made in their memory, alongside our legacy supporters, on our Memory Wall.

Memory Wall