Generous donations to remember our loved ones

Alongside resolutions and well wishes, the New Year is also often a time to remember those who are no longer with us.

That can mean something different to everyone, but while people find comfort in different ways, one of the ways you can do this is making a donation in memory of a loved one.

Granddaughter’s donation a ‘symbol for showing how much we care’

August 2025 marked the first anniversary of Joan’s passing when granddaughter Helen made a one-off donation directly to the Macular Society.

Helen said: “The charity had been such a part of Nanna’s later life, and I thought a donation would be a really good symbol for showing how much we care for her still, a loving nod to her and showing how important the charity has been.”

Joan was diagnosed with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in her 80s, before she passed away aged 92. Fluent in German, she would write to her German pen pal but later relied on family to read letters she received, as well as giving up driving. 

“It was sad to see someone you love go through that,” recalled Helen.

“She lived with AMD in her final years of life and it did make things a lot more difficult for her. She enjoyed lots of activities like cooking, playing scrabble online with her friends, and she was good with an iPad which was great for someone of her age.

“She had to get us to read out the letters from her German pen pal, which was quite funny because we’re not quite as fluent in speaking German than she was!

“It was one of those things where even though you could tell that she was kind of disappointed that things were getting more difficult for her, she also would check in with other people and what issues they were having as well. She really did keep good spirits about it, even though it was difficult for her.”

Joan also struggled to bake but Helen was grateful that, when she was 16, her Nanna had passed on the recipe of the family-favourite apple pie.

She said: “It was a good thing because when she had macular degeneration, baking wasn’t something she could do. So I took over and it was bittersweet because while she was glad to have passed it on, she didn’t have that same level of independence to things like that for herself anymore.”

Helen now hopes her donation and remembering Joan, will help raise awareness of macular disease.

“Research is really important for being able to find more ways to slow sight loss down. And similarly, I think awareness is a good thing because I hadn't heard of macular disease until it affected someone really close to me, and I wish I had known about it before,” she said.

Son grateful for support for macular disease

Joan’s son Alex helped to collect donations in her memory at the funeral, a proportion of which went to the Macular Society.

Alex said: “Mum would have been delighted with that, for people’s support not only for her but for so many people who have been and are diagnosed with macular disease. It’s so important to encourage people to donate and as we raise more awareness of it, the more donations are made to great charities like the Macular Society.”

The family had discovered the Macular Society when Joan opened up about experiencing Charles Bonnet syndrome – visual hallucinations caused by sight loss. 

Alex said: “She kept on seeing a very old-fashioned London double decker bus with a girl waving at her through the window. Often it appeared when she was watching TV, and she found it quite unsettling. 

“The charity was able to tell her that what she was experiencing wasn’t untypical, that it was just her brain filling in the gaps, so she found comfort in that. 

“She joined the webinars religiously because she wanted to know about the latest research and updates – and she got a great deal from that. It was comforting for her knowing there were other people with AMD, and she was very excited about the possibility of treatments emerging.”

Gift in Will regifted to help others

When volunteer Bonnie made a donation to the Society, it was in honour of her befriendee Christine. They chatted on the phone as part of the Macular Society’s befriending service for more than a decade, discussing all things from books to gardening, and a little about their sight loss too.

Christine, who had dry age-related macular degeneration, had just turned 90 when she was partnered with befriender Bonnie. The pair started chatting in November 2013 and hit it off straight away. 

They discovered a shared passion for reading, with Christine a former English teacher. 

Bonnie shared: “She was amazingly independent, and very stoical. She only gave up driving because of her macular degeneration and her lack of sight. But until her mid-80s, she'd managed to socialise quite a lot.”

Christine, originally from Manchester who later fell in love with Oxford during her time south, sadly passed away in April 2024. Her ashes were scattered at Somerville College in Oxford, and she generously left a gift in her Will to Bonnie. But, in memory of her late friend, Bonnie decided to re-gift this money to the Macular Society instead.

Bonnie said: “I want to do something for Christine now, I want her name to be heard, and I want her people to know about her.”

Remembering our loved ones in 2026

Have you been inspired to donate to the Macular Society, in memory of a loved one? Whether it’s a one-off donation, a fundraising event or arranging a Gift in your Will, the Macular Society continues to be grateful for people’s generosity in 2026, which is Helping Beat Macular Disease.