Over 60 years ago UEA was founded through the generosity of philanthropists who believed in the power of education to transform lives and the need for a university that was prepared to Do Different.
With the power of our research, teaching and pioneering expertise comes a responsibility to benefit the world by helping to solve the most significant challenges of our changing world.
We continue to drive academic excellence, transform the unique campus at the centre of UEA, push the boundaries of medical research, promise sustainable futures, use the power of creativity to drive positive change and create inclusive communities where every individual can thrive.
All these endeavours are made possible through legacy donations left in the wills of our alumni, staff and friends.
Legacy gifts are becoming increasingly vital to the future of UEA as they enable us to undertake transformative work that would otherwise remain beyond our reach. These contributions can be directed to causes that resonate deeply with you, whether that is advancing scientific knowledge, nurturing the talents of promising students or supporting the development of our unique campus.
Your generosity has the potential to change lives not only for the current generation but for generations to come. I sincerely hope that you will be inspired to join us in our mission by considering a legacy gift in your will.
Prof David Maguire Vice-Chancellor and President
At UEA we’ve got the vision, the drive and some of the best, most innovative minds ready to solve the planet’s most pressing challenges.
For 60 years the University has been proud to Do Different.
Throughout those decades many people have shared our vision to make the world a better place. Often, they have donated to help us – and you can read about the huge difference their generosity is making in the pages that follow.
Now, in uniquely challenging times for the world, we have embarked on our new, multi-year Dare to Do Different campaign, aiming to raise £100m in philanthropic donations to supercharge our work and make sure UEA remains a home for
progressive, bold thinking and decisive action on the things that matter most: creativity, a healthy planet and healthy people. UEA is a place where everyone’s contribution is valued and background is never a barrier to participation.
Alongside this, our Pioneer Fund is an endowment which is setup for the longterm benefit of UEA, enabling us to achieve our aims across every area of the university into the future.
Your support for our students, our researchers, academics and programmes is helping us to make their ideas a reality.
The Dare to Do Different campaign focuses on four key areas of excellence: Climate, Health, Creativity and Campus. Every gift will help to fund and further the University’s groundbreaking work.
Make a research breakthrough
Research at UEA, such as our new prostate cancer tests, could transform lives. Your gift will help our researchers accelerate their work and bring about future breakthroughs.
What will your gift achieve?
Building the University’s future
Leave a permanent legacy of bricks and mortar when you make a gift to provide cutting-edge buildings for future teaching, study and research on our campus.
Opening doors to scholarship students
You can bring talented students to UEA regardless of their background, with a life-changing opportunity for those who might not otherwise have been able to access higher education.
Back UEA entrepreneurs
Give your support to the ventures of students and graduates through the Student Enterprise Fund, and help create a thriving business community with a local, national and international impact.
A gift in your will, or in memory, can make a huge difference for the next generation.
Victoria Phillips (LAW80)
UEA is part of the family for Victoria Phillips – she, her late husband Paul, her son and nephew have all studied here.
After my husband, Paul Head (SOC79), got cancer aged 53 and died a year later, I was talking to my sons about creating a scholarship in their dad’s memory.
The boys thought it was marvellous and when I told Paul’s parents they were over the moon.
Paul was a big personality. Everyone had a story about him. He always considered himself very lucky to have gone to a college that helped him get on his way to UEA.
We decided we wanted to stick true to what was important to him.
The Paul Head Memorial Scholarship provides opportunities for low-income students who might be the first in their family to attend university. It had to be UEA because it has become a family destination – my son and nephew are now both alumni of the university too.
It’s been brilliant for us to see the different scholars and hear their news along the way. Coming to the annual Scholarship Reception is quite a treat, I’ve met the most lovely people.
A life’s celebration
I’ve now decided to make a gift in my own will to support scholarships. I want Paul’s legacy to live on and continue helping talented students attend UEA.
I too wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t studied here. Student politics got me on my career path, and I’ve so many longstanding friendships made during those four years, including the man I married.
Bill and Roselies
Hemming supported the next generation of STEM students at UEA.
The legacy of Bill and Roselies Hemming has helped to build the New Science Building on the UEA campus, ensuring that the University remains at the cutting edge of science education into the future.
Bill Hemming joined UEA’s finance department in 1969, with roles in research grant funding and the accounts of the senior common room wine cellar. Roselies, meanwhile, managed the reprographics department of the library from 1970. Here, she got to know many of the students and staff of the University, including Professor Hubert Lamb, whose research at UEA established the study of climate change as a serious research subject and inspired Christine’s decision to support the New Science Building.
Bill and Roselies’ daughter, Christine Hemming, said, “My parents both enjoyed their time working at the University”.
“They found meaningful work and the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. After my father died, my mother decided that a gift to UEA would be a good way to give back to a younger generation who don’t have the opportunities she enjoyed.”
Their gift of £100,000 funded the completion of the building, which is a space fundamentally designed with cross-disciplinary learning at its heart. Students are learning in labs that closely resemble those in the leading biomedical research institutions we have at Norwich Research Park.
A teaching room has been named in Bill and Roselies’ memory as a permanent marker of the instrumental difference that they and their generosity made to the development of the facilities.
A gift for science
The New Science Building, which opened in 2019, is a place for cross-disciplinary learning. Bill and Roselies Hemming’s legacy helped fund the completion of the building.
FIND OUT MORE
Legacies have a significant and lasting impact on UEA’s vital work across the sciences and in the development of our campus buildings: uea.ac.uk/about/giving-to-uea/our-causes
The generous gift in Helen Fuller’s will is helping to diagnose aggressive prostate cancer.
Men with prostate cancer are one step closer to new tests that help doctors diagnose and treat the disease, thanks to a gift of £40,000 from the late Helen Fuller.
After 30 years running Helena’s Shoe Store on St William’s Way in Thorpe, Norwich, Helen Fuller and her husband retired in the same area of the city. The pair were pillars of their local community.
Her nephew, Michael Turner, said, “My uncle was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma and sadly died, leaving behind my aunt. As they knew someone at UEA connected with cancer research, my aunt felt that a gift in her own will would be a wonderful way to remember him.”
Helen’s kindness will have a real impact for UEA’s cutting-edge research, led by Prof Colin Cooper and his team at the Bob Champion Research and Education Building. The brand-new PUR and Tiger tests that they are developing will be highly valuable tools in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. The ability to identify life-threatening cancers and target the most appropriate treatment will be life-changing for thousands of men each year.
This enterprising couple’s lives were built in Norwich, but their legacy is worldwide. They will help save and improve thousands of men’s lives globally for many generations to come.
A gift for research
Following her husband’s death from lymphoma, Helen was determined to carry out his wish to support cancer research at UEA. An independent woman who cared about the world and her family, Helen passed away on her 91st birthday, leaving behind a generous gift in her will.
FIND OUT MORE
UEA’s scientists work on some of the most pressing medical issues of our time. Read about the work donor generosity is helping to fund: uea.ac.uk/about/giving-to-uea/our-causes
A gift from William ‘Arthur’ Hamlin is backing the businesses of emerging entrepreneurs at UEA.
Starting a new business is tough.
But, thanks to the generosity of Arthur Hamlin, support is available for determined student and graduate entrepreneurs at UEA.
Born in Essex, Arthur Hamlin’s long career as a builder included the renovation of five properties in Norwich that he rented to students. Over time, he got to know his tenants’ plans for the future and the challenges they faced.
Arthur’s sister, Alison, said, “My brother was a thoughtful man, but he found school challenging. He was practical and resourceful and, as a teenager, he grew vegetables and sold them to the local community”.
“He always tried to help others who, like himself, had ambitions in life but didn’t necessarily have the resources to put those ideas into action. I think he’d be very excited to see the amazing things happening thanks to his money.”
A gift in Arthur’s will of £943,000 to the Enterprise Fund is giving new generations of students and graduates life-changing opportunities. In previous years, the fund has benefitted graduates like Helena Lopez Paredes, who was awarded £7,500 to help launch Helena Eyimi Ltd. Today her company delivers midwifery and childbirth care training in hospitals and universities globally, bringing life-saving midwifery practices to women around the world.
A gift for entrepreneurs
Leaving a legacy gift can have a powerful impact on UEA’s work.
But what if you don’t have a will?
Prof Polly Morgan (LAW96)
Polly is director of UEA’s multi award-winning law clinic, holds a solicitor’s practising certificate and runs a free family law advice service.
For those who don’t leave a will, their estates will be distributed according to the Intestacy Rules. This gives specific shares to a spouse and children, and then if they do not exist it goes to a list of increasingly distant relatives.
If there is no one on the list alive, then the Crown, Duchy of Lancaster, or Duchy of Cornwall receive the proceeds. Cohabitants - unmarried partners - aren’t included at all. Given that many people are in unmarried relationships, this is a huge omission.
There’s an easy way to fix this and ensure that your money goes to those people and those causes you believe in - and that
is to make a will. People frequently put this off, but making a will is not difficult and will make it much easier for those you leave behind.
Ensure that you use a reputable solicitor (not all will writers are regulated and not all are insured) - and most importantly, that your executors have the powers they need. Expect to pay about £400 (as of 2025) per couple for wills that mirror each other’s wishes, and a bit more if you want to set up trusts for beneficiaries. Don’t forget that you can also leave a lasting legacy as exampled by the stories in this brochure.
Somewhere around half of all adults in the UK don’t have a will, and this includes nearly a third of those aged over 55.
There are many ways to give and every gift, no matter how big or small, will make a huge difference.
A gift that celebrates a loved one’s life
A donation in memory can be a fitting way to honour someone’s life and values. Our team will make sure your wishes are fulfilled and your loved one’s memory is recognised properly.
A gift that puts your estate to work
Some people choose to remember our work in their will, leaving us a property, art, jewellery or stocks and shares. Let us know about your intentions and how you’d like us to use the gift.
A gift that lasts forever
The Pioneer Fund is an endowment managed by a leading investment bank for UEA’s long-term benefit. It is entirely philanthropic in nature, formed of donations and legacy gifts from generous donors.
A gift to support what matters most to you
You can support a cause you feel passionate about at UEA such as student scholarships, groundbreaking research, or campus facilities. We ensure your gift is used in a way which reflects your wishes.
Now more than ever, we dare to do different. Will you join us?
If you are considering a gift in your will or a gift in memory, the Development, Alumni and Campaigns Office is here to offer any support we can, including guidance for speaking to your solicitor or financial adviser.
07776 575977
legacy@uea.ac.uk
uea.ac.uk/about/giving-to-uea/gifts-in-wills
Development, Alumni and Campaigns Office
University of East Anglia
Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ
UEA is an exempt charity: HMRC reference number XN423.
