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Having the vision to help

The Mayor of Swale has been making a spectacle of herself.

Cllr Pat Sandle was one of hundreds of people to take her old glasses to Specsavers in Sittingbourne in support of Vision Aid Overseas (VAO).

The opticians, based in The Forum shopping centre, collected 810 pairs of frames in one day on July 7.

They will now be sent to the charity for them to be recycled and redistributed by teams of volunteers in developing countries such as Africa.

he Mayor of Swale Cllr Pat Sandle popped into the Specsavers store in Sittingbourne to donate her glasses in support of Vision Aid Overseas. She is pictured with staff members Sophie Sussex (left) and Alyshia Abramiam (right).
he Mayor of Swale Cllr Pat Sandle popped into the Specsavers store in Sittingbourne to donate her glasses in support of Vision Aid Overseas. She is pictured with staff members Sophie Sussex (left) and Alyshia Abramiam (right).

VAO, which works to transform access to eye care services, is part of the Vision 2020 initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.

Since 2003 Specsavers stores have collected and recycled more than a quarter of a million glasses for the charity, and have raised over £550,000.

This money has helped a number of projects including solely funding an eye care clinic in the Zambian capital Lusaka, which was officially opened by Specsavers founder Dame Mary Perkins.

Store director, David Moorman, said: “The reaction to the campaign was fantastic - we’d never seen the store so busy.

"Our thanks go out to the Mayor and everyone who brought along a pair of glasses, especially those who turned up with whole bags full.

“It’s such a worthwhile cause as this is not only preventing specs from ending up in landfills, but also helps hundreds of people in the charity’s overseas programmes.”

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