Seven local charities have benefited from a share of almost £1million left in the will of Leicester resident David Williamson.
Curve, Guide Dogs, Leicester Quakers, LOROS Hospice, The Centre Project and The Salvation Army have each received over £120,000 from the estate of David Williamson, with Leicestershire Photographic Society also receiving over £8,000.
Picture: David Williamson
Born 1 January 1944, Robert David Williamson (known as David Williamson) moved from East Anglia to Leicester in the 1980s, where he worked and lived for the rest of his life. David was passionate about theatre, photography and cricket, and volunteered at Leicester’s Little Theatre and The Centre Project, a charity supporting vulnerable people in Leicester’s community. David passed away on 7 January 2024, leaving a share of almost £1million from his estate to local organisations.
On Monday 30 June, charity representatives and friends of David Williamson came together at Curve theatre to pay tribute and mark the generous donation.
Speaking about the impact of the funds, Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “The impact of David’s generous donation to Curve will be keenly felt across our theatre. We are humbled and incredibly grateful to be one of the charities David chose to recognise in his will.
“David was a loyal audience member, enjoying more than 50 performances at Curve over the years. We’re now pleased to honour David’s memory by allocating these vital funds to the development of new work.”
Members of theLeicester and Leicestershire Photographic Society said: “David had been a member of Leicester and Leicestershire Photographic society for over 15 years. Whilst not a prolific photographer himself, he regularly attended society meetings and events and his enthusiasm for all things photography related was evident. He took great interest in the photographic work of members, whether in competitions or in exhibitions and was always there to support the work of our visiting speakers. He always showed particular interest in the work of our younger members and his encouragement and support was always appreciated.
“To mark David’s generous legacy to the society, we dedicated this year’s annual exhibition to his memory enabling us not only to celebrate his life but to show our appreciation of his input. We will be using his kind gift to update equipment we use at meetings, which enables us to share members work to best effect, and to support the ongoing expenses of the society.
“The society would like to express our condolences to David’s family and friends – he will be sadly missed.”
