LEGACIES ENCOURAGED FOR UK OPTICAL CHARITIES

Trustees of the Optical Workers’ Benevolent Fund, which provides support for those who have worked within the ophthalmic production industry and who find themselves in difficult times, are urging support through legacies.

In addition to the manufacturing support charity, the Trustees are also encouraging the optical community to remember The Wiseman Memorial Fund which provides support and education grants for UK ophthalmic students looking to further their knowledge, often with voluntary work overseas.

Any sums donated to these charities are taken out of the inheritance tax threshold and can reduce the total owing to HMRC, besides benefitting those within our own optical community, say Trustees. As Professor Mo Jalie, a Trustee of both funds, commented –

​“The Optical Workers’ Benevolent Fund provides a very valuable level of support for people who have supported the great family of UK optics but who now find themselves in difficult times. Some of our beneficiaries result from serious health issues which mean they are no longer able to work. The Wiseman Memorial Fund – from which many in optics today have benefitted – provides funds for needy optometry students in their second or third year of their courses who have the full backing of their tutors.”