The Legacy Garden

Remembering donors and their lives

The Open University has created the Legacy Garden as a lasting visual testament of our gratitude to legacy donors. Offering a place of quiet contemplation and reflection, it is an oasis on the busy University campus in Milton Keynes.

White flowers in spring, representing generosity and kindness, lead into the many colours of summer, demonstrating the huge range of students and projects which donors support. Shrubs and perennials will blossom year after year, speaking of our supporters’ continuing impact on our work. Repurposed Victorian gates symbolically protect the sites of legacy plaques, showing how much we value our donors’ support.

The walls of the Legacy Garden are home to legacy plaques, providing a tribute to the generosity of our donors and celebrating their lives, achievements and values. The plaques are sited around the Legacy Tree, an original bas-relief sculpture by a local artist in clay.

By remembering the University in their Will, alumni, supporters and staff are helping to open up education for all. Each and every gift is greatly appreciated, and the Legacy Garden is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the generosity of those who have chosen to support the University in this way.

A society grows great when we plant trees in whose shade we shall never sit.

This adapted Greek proverb, featured on the Legacy Tree sculpture, speaks of the opportunity we have today to make a real difference for the next generation.