Specsavers Bandon staff to walk 500k steps in aid of The Hope foundation

FIFTEEN staff members at Specsavers Bandon have set themselves the target of walking 500,000 steps to raise much needed funds for The Hope Foundation. During the week of October 1^st to 8th, the team in Specsavers Bandon will come together in support of Specsavers charity partner The Hope Foundation, by putting on their walking shoes and counting those steps.

Through a variety of local store initiatives and fundraisers facilitated through Tap to Donate machines in Specsavers stores, Specsavers is hoping to raise more than €5k to purchase new high-tech equipment for the eye clinic in the Hope Hospital in Kolkata.

The initiative comes in support of fellow Specsavers staff members Lisa Walsh, from Specsavers Liffey Valley and Edwina McKinney, from Specsavers Crumlin, who are embarking on the Camino De Santiago walk in September. Lisa Walsh will also be travelling to Kolkata in November of this year with a team of expert opticians, in partnership with The Hope Foundation, to provide extensive optical care to those living in slum communities.

The Hope Foundation is a long-term charity partner for Specsavers. With the help of donations from customers and Specsavers themselves, The Hope Foundation has so far been able to conduct over 151 free eye check-up camps, treating more than 25,000 people, dispensing more than 14,000 pairs of glasses, providing more than 9,000 free medicines to patients. They have performed almost 1,200 eye surgeries and treated 6,525 patients through 368 eye clinics at Hope Hospital.

The Hope Foundation founder, Maureen Forrester, says: ‘We are thankful to every single store that helps to raise vital funds for our charity. Our partnership with Specsavers has been very important to us. It has allowed us to provide support to many people suffering with their eyesight in Kolkata and we are forever grateful for that.’

Specsavers Bandon store director, Marie Burke, says: ‘We are delighted to be taking part in the initiative to support both fellow Specsavers members as well as The Hope Foundation. We are excited to get our walking shoes on and would appreciate the support of our community.’

For more information or to make a donation visit www.specsavers.ie or contact Specsavers Bandon on 023-8889037.