Leave a legacy gift in your Will
Leave a gift in your Will and join over 13,000 people who are helping to defeat cancer.
Order our free legacy guide
Find out more about making a Will and leaving a legacy gift to fund ground-breaking cancer research.
Write your Will for free
Use one of our three free Wills services to write or update your Will. Find a local partnered solicitor or make it online.How your gift can advance cancer research
More than one third of our donations comes from legacy gifts, making them a vital part of the discoveries we make. Life-changing research projects take time, often spanning decades before they reach patients. Treatments like abiraterone, now used as standard therapy for prostate cancer after chemotherapy, took over 20 years to reach advanced prostate cancer patients. Its use has now been extended to include thousands of more men in 2026.
Our dedicated team of 800 scientists and clinicians is on the front line of cancer research, working tirelessly to deepen our knowledge of this disease and develop ground-breaking therapies that can transform lives. Your support through legacy gifts is vital to our mission, helping us achieve breakthroughs that lead to better diagnoses and treatments for patients facing cancer. You can leave hope to the next generation.
Launch the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, which opened in 2021, where we’re tackling cancer's ability to evolve resistance to treatment and creating a new generation of life-saving drugs.
Invest in state-of-the-art equipment, allowing us to utilise the latest genetic sequencing technologies that are essential for cutting-edge research.
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Fund PhD studentships, nurturing the next generation of brilliant minds who will work towards defeating cancer.
Find out more about how your legacy gift can make a difference to our research and change the lives of cancer patients.
How to leave a gift in your Will
We have tried to make your Will writing process as easy as possible. Simply follow these easy steps for you to secure your future and the future of cancer research.
Get your free legacy guide
Download your free legacy guide for information about the impact of your gift and a clear breakdown of how you can update or write your own Will.
Find a Will writing service
Find a local solicitor to speak to and help you every step of the way or write your Will online for a quick and easy process. Find a service that works for you.
Find out more
If you need support with any legal terms, types of Wills or the services, find more information on how to leave a gift in your Will.
We are very grateful for every gift left to the ICR. Each one plays a vital role in helping us drive forward life‑changing cancer research.
You are very welcome to tell us how you would like your gift to be used. However, very specific instructions can sometimes create difficulties, especially if many years pass between writing your Will and us receiving your gift. Our research priorities may have changed by then, meaning we may not be able to use the gift exactly as you intended.
To avoid this, many supporters choose wording that expresses their wishes while still giving us enough flexibility to put their gift where it will make the greatest impact.
If you are thinking about supporting a specific area of research, we’re always happy to talk this through and help you find the right wording. You can contact us at [email protected] or call 020 7153 5387.
FAQs
Find the full list of frequently asked questions to help you with creating your Will, contacting a solicitor or our 'Will for Free’ service.
Get in touch
Our dedicated Legacy team are here to help with any questions you have. Get in touch on 020 7153 5387 or email us using the link below.
Our legacy supporters
Tina Regan
Tina Regan, 68, has been touched by cancer personally and has seen the devastating impact it has had on her immediate family. That is why she has pledged to leave a gift in her Will to fund our vital research. Read Tina's full story here.
"Previously, my sister had ovarian cancer, and now very sadly my niece is currently battling breast cancer. Over the years I have been touched by cancer, and it has affected my life so much. That’s why I decided to leave a legacy in my Will to the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)."
Verity Mutch
After both her parents died of cancer, Verity Mutch, 69, says we need to find kinder ways to treat the disease. That is why she has pledged to leave a gift in her Will to fund our groundbreaking research. Read Verity's full story here.
“Cancer is a word no one wants to hear. I wanted to leave a gift in my Will to help the fight against it”
Jolyon Armstrong
Jolyon, 75, faced his own cancer diagnosis in 2018 and has also seen members of his immediate family and ‘too many friends’ touched by the disease. That’s why he has pledged to leave a gift in his Will to fund our ground-breaking research. Read Jolyon's full story here.
“There cannot be enough research into cancer. That’s why a legacy gift makes perfect sense.”
Suzanne O’Connor
When Mrs Mair Robinson sadly passed away in 2015, she left the ICR £100,000 in her Will. With her legacy gift she established the Mair and Franklyn Robinson Research Scholarship, to support a young scientist. Suzanne O’Connor was the fortunate PhD student who benefitted from Mrs Robinson’s generosity. Read Suzanne's full story here.
“Legacy gifts mean the ICR can invest in training scientists like me who will lead cancer research into the future. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside scientists who have years of drug discovery expertise.”
Professor Robin Weiss
Professor Robin Weiss, former Director of The Institute of Cancer Research, decided to add a legacy to his Will to benefit us. After being diagnosed with cancer himself, he has since passed away. You can read more about his remarkable career here.
“I am proud to see how the ICR’s research has transformed the lives of cancer patients, and the hope this brings us for the future. I want to leave a monetary legacy in addition to my scientific one.”