Member Article

Fundraising award for opticians

A family-run optician’s practice has won a fundraising award in recognition of its support to a global eye care charity that aims to improve peoples’ vision in poor and developing countries.

Wade Opticians has received a gold award from Optometry Giving Sight after raising £300 in the 2013 Word Sight Day Challenge.

Patients at Wade Optician’s practices in Saddler Street, Durham; Croft View, Lanchester; Front Street, Prudhoe, and Parsons Drive, Ryton, were invited to make a donation and this was then matched by the company.

Managing Director Alastair Wade said: “There are more than 600 million people around the world who are blind of vision impaired simply because they do not have access to the eye examination and glasses they need.

“As an optical practice, we think it is incredibly important to support a cause that is helping provide eye care to people for whom this vital service is not available.

“We would like to thank all our customers who made a donation; they really have helped transform the lives of many people.”

Wade Opticians also supports Optometry Giving Sight by collecting second-hand spectacles throughout the year. These are recycled in the countries selected by the charity.

Mr Wade added: “We always encourage people buying new spectacles to bring in their old ones to donate to the charity in this way, rather than just throwing them away.

“The majority of people in this country replace their spectacles long before they have reached the end of their life, so they can easily be re-used by people in other countries who would otherwise not be able to afford them.”

Anyone who would like to donate their old spectacles can bring them into the Wade Opticians practices.

Thanks to past donations, Optometry Giving Sight has been able to fund 67 projects in 38 countries. Funds raised from World Sight Day Challenge will be directed to projects in 23 countries around the world that give sight to those most in need.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Neil Shaefer .