Opticians’ appeal for old and unwanted glasses for charity

A RUSTINGTON opticians is hosting a collection drive for old and unused glasses for Vision Aid Overseas (VAO) throughout April and May.

Specsavers, in The Street, is asking people to search high and low for old pairs of specs, as staff aim to collect a record number of glasses for the UK-based charity.

Store director Rishi Patel said: “We have a donation bin taking pride of place in store and our goal is to reach over 400 pairs of glasses by May 31. At the end of the day the collected specs are boxed and donated to VAO for its international spectacle recycling scheme. All donated frames are recycled and then dispensed by teams of volunteers.”

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VAO works in Africa to transform access to eyecare services and is part of the Vision 2020 initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020

Victoria Cox, international programme officer for VAO said: “We look forward to seeing how many pairs of glasses the people of Rustington can donate. It’s such a worthwhile cause as this is not only preventing specs from ending up in landfills but also raising vital funds for our overseas programmes.”

Since 2003 Specsavers nationally has recycled more than 250,000 glasses for VAO, raising about £550,000.

To donate unwanted glasses or to book an eye test, visit Specsavers, in The Street, call 01903 788 667 or see www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/rustington