Leave a gift in your will
Our glaucoma community has always looked out for each other. By leaving a gift in your will to Glaucoma UK, you can carry that compassion forward for future generations.
Your support will help others with glaucoma live well with the disease and bring us closer to new treatments, earlier diagnosis and, one day, a cure through the research you’ll help make possible.
If you’re considering leaving a gift in your will to Glaucoma UK – thank you. The truth is, we simply wouldn’t be able to provide support and fund vital glaucoma research without you and those before you who chose to support our work in their lifetime and beyond.
It’s thanks to them that we’re able to fund research that drives progress.
You made it happen
In June 2024, a study we supported with £40,000 in funding revealed that mitochondria – often called the “powerhouses” of cells – and how well they function can be used as a measure to predict how quickly someone with glaucoma might lose their vision.
Over 25 years ago, I received my first support from Glaucoma UK—then the International Glaucoma Society, led by the brilliant Ronald Pitts Crick. The funding was modest, but at the time it felt like a fortune. More importantly, it bridged the gap between my research and lectureship roles and was vital in keeping my glaucoma research alive. That’s the real value of Glaucoma UK’s support: it invests in people. Over the years, several alumni of the Crabb Lab have benefited from its generosity at pivotal moments. This journey came full circle in 2025, when Dr Giovanni Montesano became the first-ever Pitts Crick Fellow – honouring Ronald’s legacy.
Professor David Crabb
City St George’s, University of London
Free will writing with a local solicitor
We offer a free will writing service connecting you with a qualified local solicitor. It is a simple and convenient way to get everything in place, whether you are writing a will for the first time or just need to update an existing one.
If you’re 55 or over, you can use this service for free. Solicitors from a trusted UK-wide network who support The Law Society will help with simple Wills. There’s no pressure to leave a gift to Glaucoma UK.
If your will is more complex, your solicitor will talk you through any extra costs before moving forward. It is completely your choice whether you want to go ahead, and there is no obligation at all.
To find out more, email fundraising@glaucoma.uk or call 01233 648 164.
Your gift brings change in sight
After you’ve provided for the people you love, leaving a gift to a charity you care about can be a wonderful way to create a lasting impact.
Share of your estate
Known as a ‘residuary gift’, this allows you to leave a percentage of what remains in your estate after all other gifts, debts, taxes and expenses have been settled. Because it’s a proportion rather than a fixed amount, this kind of gift tends to keep its value over time and can include money, property or other remaining assets.
Cash gift
Also known as a ‘pecuniary gift’, this is a fixed amount of money that you choose to leave. To help your gift retain its value in the future, you may prefer to make it an ‘index-linked pecuniary gift’. This means the amount will rise in line with inflation, helping ensure it has the same impact when it’s received as it does today.
If you’ve already included Glaucoma UK in your will…
First off, thank you so much – we’re really grateful for your kindness and support. We’d love the chance to personally thank you and keep you updated on the exciting progress glaucoma research is making.
Please email us at fundraising@glaucoma.uk, and we’ll make sure you’re invited to any upcoming events where we share the real impact of your generosity.
And of course, if you ever change your mind, that’s completely okay – it’s always your choice.
Questions people often ask
If you’re thinking about including a gift in your will, you probably have a few questions — you’re not alone, and we’ve shared some of the ones we hear most often.
Honestly, there’s no perfect age for it. But a good rule of thumb is to think about it around those big moments in life – like milestone birthdays, getting married or starting a civil partnership, having children or buying a house.
Being a proactive about writing your will means you can make sure everything you care about ends up where you want it to – with the people (or even a charity) that mean the most to you.
If you’re leaving a gift to Glaucoma UK in your will, here’s the key information you’ll need. Thank you so much for thinking of us!
Charity name: Glaucoma UK
Address: Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PP
Charity Registered: in England & Wales No 274681, in Scotland No SC041550
We’d love the chance to personally thank you and keep you updated on the exciting progress glaucoma research is making. Please email us at fundraising@glaucoma.uk, and we’ll make sure you’re invited to any upcoming events where we share the real impact of your generosity.
Leaving a gift to Glaucoma UK in your will isn’t subject to inheritance tax. This could actually reduce the amount of tax your estate needs to pay.
If you leave more than 10% of your estate to charity, the inheritance tax rate drops from 40% to 36%.*
Of course, everyone’s situation is different, so we’d always recommend you chat with a professional for advice that fits you.
You can also find more info at www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax.
If you’ve been named as an Executor, you might need to apply for a Grant of Probate, depending on how large the estate is.
Managing someone’s affairs after they pass can be complex, but The Law Society has all the guidance you’ll need about what being an Executor involves.
For more detailed information, you can visit The Law Society website.