Specsavers Middleton and Heaton Park raise over £5,000 for Springhill Hospice and Macmillan

L-R: Sarah Peet, Chelsea Gettings and Joanne Ali

Two local opticians have donated more than £5,000 to Springhill Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support following a fundraising drive.

The Specsavers stores in the Middleton Shopping Centre and Sainsbury’s in Heaton Park Road hit their ambitious target of raising £5,000 for the two local causes, thanks to a series of fundraising efforts.

The drive saw Christopher McNally, store director of Specsavers Middleton, and Kimberly Etchells, store director of Heaton Park complete the Manchester Marathon and tackle the XTERRA Snowdonia Marathon, one of the UK’s most challenging trail runs. Both stores made significant donations, which were topped up by customers.

Kimberley said: "Earlier in the year, we decided that we really wanted to make a difference to the lives of those battling life limiting illnesses. Christopher and I, along with so many members of the team, have experienced the incredible care and support both charities offer. We’re absolutely thrilled to have hit our fundraising goal."

Macmillan fundraising manager Sarah Peet said: "A big thank you to the Specsavers team and Christopher. Their generous donation will pay for a nurse for 10 days, helping cancer sufferers and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support."

Joanne Ali, Springhill Hospice community engagement officer, added: "We’re delighted that Specsavers decided to support the hospice. We plan to use the funds to cover the cost of a community specialist palliative care nurse for 10 days, pay for a doctor’s care on our inpatient unit for a day and buy enough food for our in-house catering team to cook a patient’s meals for three days. All in all it’s a huge achievement and we’re extremely grateful."

Based in Rochdale, Springhill Hospice provides the highest standard of care for patients in need of palliative care, in-patient, day hospice, and outpatient services. Macmillan Cancer Support provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.