Shoppers in Rochdale help provide sight for Africa

A child benefits from donated old and unused glasses

An optician’s in Rochdale has thanked customers for donating more than 1,000 of their old, unused glasses this year, as part of a charity campaign to help people in Africa to see more clearly.

Founded in 1985, Vision Aid Overseas has been helping some of the poorest people in the world to see properly for more than 30 years. The charity’s mission is to enable people living in poverty to access affordable glasses and eyecare.

All the collected glasses are recycled, and the money made is used to help provide optical services in developing countries.

Working with Vision Aid Overseas, staff and customers at Specsavers Rochdale have shown their generosity by bringing a record-number of old glasses to the store for donation over the past year.

Store director, Sarah Culshaw, said: “The campaign this year has been a massive success thanks to our very kind and generous customers bringing in their old glasses. Every single one will make a difference.

“In a country where opticians’ services are readily available, such as the UK, it is easy to take our vision for granted. In poorer parts of the world where people don’t have access to eyecare services, these donations and Vision Aid Overseas can make a significant impact on people’s lives.”

VAO has been Specsavers international eyecare charity since 2008. The group has raised over £600,000 for Zambian eye care including an optometry technologists training course at the Chainama College of Health Sciences in Lusaka, 10 staffed vision centres across Zambia and a national eyecare outreach programme.