02 November 2017
Last updated at 10:31
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South West law firms join Property Search Group in celebrating spectacular result for Vision Aid Overseas appeal
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Front row, left to right: Elaine Connor, PSG Swindon; Summer Piper, Manager at Specsavers Exeter; Martin Gill, PSG Plymouth; Suzy Seaby, Conveyancer Services at WBW |
Earlier this week Property Search Group joined forces with local law firms Foot Anstey, WBW and Kitsons to hand over unwanted glasses, collected for the Vision Aid Overseas Specs Appeal, to Exeter’s Specsavers.
In celebration of October’s World Sight Day, PSG’s teams based in Swindon, Somerset and Plymouth visited law firms, across the region, to collect old spectacles for recycling. The total number of specs collected amounted to just over 500 pairs.
International charity Vision Aid Overseas recycles the donated glasses,and the income generated from the recycling process, is used to help build sustainable systems in more isolated communities across Africa. This includes building Vision Centres (equivalent to UK opticians), training eye care workers and supporting outreach clinics to deliver affordable eye care services.
Elaine Connor at PSG says:
“We started working with Vision Aid Overseas after hearing that just £5 provides a person in Africa with an eye test and a pair of glasses. Such a small amount to most people, but with a life changing impact.
“We took the decision to collect spectacles, for World Sight Day, and contacted law firms across the South West, including our clients, to ask whether they would be happy to participate. We were overwhelmed by the positive response, with around 20 law firms collecting over 500 pairs of spectacles between them. The campaign has been a great success and we want to thank all of those who donated for their generosity.”
The glasses donated to VAO are hand sorted and then some specs are recycled for precious metals, whilst others are cleaned and sold on the charity’s EBay shop or to specialist dealers.
Sarah Namusobya, Senior Fundraising Officer at Vision Aid Overseas, comments:
“We are incredibly grateful to PSG for supporting Vision Aid Overseas through our recycling scheme. As many of you may know, Vision Aid Overseas no longer sends used glasses overseas but recycles them to generate income that helps us build a sustainable eye care system in our partner countries across Africa and this enables anyone, regardless of circumstance, to access affordable eye care and new prescription glasses”
Specsavers collects unwanted glasses, on behalf of Vision Aid Overseas and then sends them to the charity’s warehouse in Crawley.
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