Queen's Tower Society annual lunch celebrates the impact of legacy giving

More than 60 members of the Queen's Tower Society attended a special lunch this week, to celebrate the impact of legacy donations at Imperial.

The Queen’s Tower Society was created in 2016 to recognise the generosity of those alumni and friends who decide to pledge a gift to Imperial in their will. Its annual lunch provides an opportunity for members to connect with each other and to learn more about research at the College and the impact of philanthropy.

The Queen's Tower Society lunch took place in the Imperial College Union dining hall

This year’s lunch was hosted by Professor David Gann (Vice President, Innovation), who spoke to guests about Imperial’s efforts to promote enterprise through initiatives like WE Innovate, a programme aimed at supporting women into entrepreneurship, and new spaces for innovation at the Enterprise Lab and The Invention Rooms.

Members of the society also heard from Sneha Desai and Ben Hilton who spoke about the confidence and freedom from financial worries that their President’s Scholarships had given them. The President’s Scholarship Fund is supported, in part, by legacy donations.

Legacy giving is in an increasingly popular way for alumni to give to the College. More than 68 people pledged a legacy gift in the last financial year and the College received over £1.4M in legacy gifts in 2016/17, vital funding that is supporting student wellbeing and enabling new research in fields as diverse as Alzheimer’s disease and theoretical physics.

The lunch was held to coincide with the 125th anniversary of the completion of the Queen’s Tower. Originally part of the Imperial Institute, which was demolished in 1958 as part of the modernization of the College’s South Kensington Campus, the tower has been a landmark for Imperial alumni for generations.

Anna Wall is Head of Legacy Giving at Imperial

Anna Wall, who heads legacy giving at Imperial said: “A legacy gift is a very special decision, and one that I know our supporters put a lot of thought into. Making a gift in your will is a way to ensure that the causes you care about continue to benefit after you’re gone. It’s an expression of an individual’s personal values. That’s why we’re so grateful to those who choose to support Imperial in this way, and why we hold this annual celebration lunch.”