How to leave a gift in your Will

A Will is about putting your family first, that’s only natural. But if, after taking care of your loved ones, you wish to remember the Macular Society too, you’ll be making a remarkable difference to the lives of future generations.

Every gift, large or small, means more research can be funded, and much more support given.

Firstly, decide what type of gift you’d like to leave.

You may wish to seek professional advice on this, to ensure those closest to you are well taken care of.

There are two main types of gift:

• A gift of money (pecuniary or cash gift): a fixed amount that you specify in your Will. You might ask your solicitor to make it index-linked so it holds its value as the years go by.
• A share in your estate (residuary gift): the whole or a share of what is left after bills have been paid and other gifts distributed.

You can also leave a specific item of value, like shares, a painting or property. These items will be sold and the funds released for the Macular Society.

All the information you’ll need

If you’re making your Will online or with a solicitor, all you need is our registered name, charity number and address. The online Will provider or solicitor will take care of the rest.

These are:

Registered charity name(s): you can use our trading name, Macular Society, or our registered name, Macular Disease Society. Either is acceptable in a Will.
Registered charity numbers: 1001198 in England and Wales; SC042015 in Scotland. If in Northern Ireland, please use 1001198.
Registered address: Crown Chambers, South Street, Andover SP10 2BN.

Need more?

You can download suggested wording for a charitable gift to the Macular Society if you wish. You can find more information in our Will wording section, further down on this page.

Specifying a use for your gift

Most gifts are given for the general charitable purposes of the Macular Society. This means the money you so kindly give is entrusted to us to spend where it is most needed. That might be on research to find a cure for macular disease, our advice and support services or operating the charity for the benefit of all who need us, long into the future.

If you would like your gift to be used for research specifically, you can ask your solicitor to add: “with a wish that the money be spent on research into macular disease”.

If you have another specific use in mind for your gift, please contact us to discuss your wishes.

Already have a Will?

If you simply want to add a cash gift to an existing Will, without changing the rest, you can download a codicil form (see below). A codicil needs to be numbered, completed, signed and witnessed in the same way as a Will, and kept safely alongside your original Will.