The Garfield Weston Foundation has awarded £10 million to Moorfields Eye Charity for Oriel, a new integrated centre for advancing eye health which will be the new home for Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, opening in 2027.
The £10 million grant for Oriel will help push the boundaries of eye research, delivering breakthrough treatments to the front line of patient care. It will support bringing clinicians and researchers from Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology together under one roof for closer collaborative working.
Oriel is the joint initiative between Moorfields Eye Hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity that will see services move from their current premises near Old Street to part of the St Pancras Hospital site in Camden.
Researchers, clinicians, educators and innovators will share expertise and utilise new technologies, working closely with patients. This cross-disciplinary approach will increase the pace at which new discoveries and treatments are developed. It will revolutionise eye health benefitting people with sight loss in the UK and internationally.
Philanthropy is critical to making Oriel a reality. The Garfield Weston Foundation is one of the first donors to Oriel. Their transformative gift to Oriel will further develop excellence and innovation in research, care and the training of experts to be world-leaders in eye health.
Oriel was granted final NHS and government approvals at the end of 2022, Moorfields acquired the site in February 2023 from Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust through an NHS-to-NHS transaction approved by the Secretary of State for Health, and the contract to build the centre was awarded to contractors Bouygues UK that same month. Construction on Oriel starts later this year.
Philippa Charles, director of the Garfield Weston Foundation said:
“Our trustees are delighted to support this integrated care, research and education centre which will benefit those affected by eye health conditions on a global scale. The new centre will build on Moorfields’ and UCL’s reputation for excellence with new treatments, providing the best care for patients and saving people’s sight.”
Robert Dufton, chief executive, Moorfields Eye Charity said:
“We’re so very grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for their generous gift which will help transform the future of eye health. The new eye health centre will harness the expertise of the partners with closer working between clinicians and researchers speeding up the delivery of the highest quality treatments and therapies for patients.”
Moorfields Eye Charity has committed £10 million from its own resources to Oriel.
Moorfields Eye Charity and UCL are working in partnership on a fundraising campaign to support Oriel. Philanthropy has a vital role in securing the future of eye health on a global scale. This is the first of a number of Oriel donor announcements the charity will be making.
Editors’ notes:
Established in 1958, the Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded charitable grant-making trust which gives away over £90 million a year to charities across the UK.
The Weston Family Trustees today remain highly active and hands-on and each year the Foundation gives away its income, and donations have continued to grow. Since it was established, it has donated £1.5 billion, of which over half has been given away in the past 10 years alone. The Foundation’s funding was established with an endowment of shares in the family business – a successful model that still endures today and as the businesses have grown, so too have the charitable donations. To find out more visit: www.garfieldweston.org
Moorfields Eye Charity supports the work of Moorfields Eye Hospital and its research partner, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, making a difference for patients at the hospital and for people with sight problems around the world. It provides grants and raises money to help the hospital provide the best possible care for its patients, educate the researchers and clinicians of tomorrow and support cutting-edge research that aims to develop new treatments for blinding diseases.
Philanthropy is critical to the realisation of Oriel and the charity is very pleased with the level of interest so far. To find out more visit: www.moorfieldseyecharity.org.uk and contact Rachel Jones at rachel.jones310@nhs.net or 020 7521 4610.
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the leading providers of eye health services in the UK and a world class centre of excellence for ophthalmic research and education. Their main focus is the treatment and care of NHS patients with a wide range of eye problems, from common complaints to rare conditions that require treatment not available elsewhere in the UK. Their unique patient case-mix and the number of people they treat mean that their clinicians have expertise in discrete ophthalmic sub-specialties.
They treat people in 25 locations in and around London, the south east and Bedford, enabling them to provide expert treatment closer to patients’ homes. They also operate commercial divisions that provide care to private patients in both London and the Middle East.
With their academic partners at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields is recognised as a leading centre of excellence in eye and vision research. Together they form one of the largest ophthalmic research sites in the world, with the largest patient population in Europe or the USA. They publish more scientific papers than any other eye and vision research site and have an extensive joint research portfolio. To find out more visit www.moorfields.nhs.uk
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