Moorfields Eye Charity receives £1 million gift

Moorfields Eye Charity has received a £1 million pledge towards Oriel, the new centre for advancing eye health, from Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Expected to open in 2027, Oriel is a joint partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity.

Oriel will bring services to a new integrated centre, with the aim of creating an environment for innovation and collaboration, as well as speeding up the delivery of research and the development of new treatments.

Friends of Moorfields manage more than 300 volunteers at the hospital and also operate the Health Information Hub where patients can access information about their eye conditions and how to access relevant services. Friends of Moorfields will continue to provide support in the new centre.

Angela Smith, chief executive of Friends of Moorfields, said: “We’re delighted to support this pioneering eye centre of the future.

“Our gift is an important part of our vision and it emphasises the vital role Friends of Moorfields plays in ensuring the new centre delivers an outstanding experience for patients – a leading model in the NHS which will reach even more people around the world,” she said.

Moorfields Eye Charity and UCL have partnered on a fundraising campaign to support Oriel.

Robert Dufton, chief executive of Moorfields Eye Charity, said: “We’re so very grateful to the Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital for their donation. This gift is helping to make the new centre possible – with patients’ needs at its heart.”

The new centre will enable the highest standards for patient care, Dufton suggested, “with the best clinicians, researchers, and educators working together,” he added: “It will help to save people’s sight and change lives.”

The foundations for the new centre have been laid and construction is progressing. Renewable energy is being used to support NHS and UCL net zero targets and sustainability goals.