5 May 2016
Blind Veterans UK - Make a Spectacle of Yourself
We invite you to ‘Make a spectacle of yourself ’with Blind Veterans UK. Register for your kit and FUNdraise for our visually impaired veterans.
Blind veterans UK believes that no-one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone. We currently support over 4,000 veterans all over the UK.
A partnership between Blind Veterans UK and independent opticians throughout the UK could massively impact the lives of thousands of our visually impaired veterans.
There are 3 easy ways to get involved.
How many can your practice complete to help support Blind Veterans UK, during Armed Forces Week 20-26 June 2016?
1. Donate £1 per eye test:
This is a really simple but the most impactful way for you to show your support, £1 from each eye test undertaken during the week to be donated to Blind Veterans UK.
2. Display a Blind Veterans UK collection tin in store.
Sign up to receive a collection tin that you can display in store.
3. Make a Spectacle of Yourself
Order a free Make a spectacle of yourself kit now! Use the props for your staff and customers. We’ll be giving prizes for the best photographs that are emailed through to makeaspectacle@blindveterans.org.uk.
One of the Specsavers store entries from last years ‘Make a spectacle of yourself’ campaign. View your photographs on our specially designed webpage!
Donating £1 per eye test at your practice during the week would impact significantly on the amount we could raise during this campaign. If a week donation is not possible please do consider this donation for a day. Also consider bake sales and vintage military fancy dress fundraisers in your practice for that week.
Last year optician stores like yours throughout the UK raised more than £20,000 to help veterans coming to terms with sight loss; this year we want to make it £40,000 so we can help even more of our veterans.
Please do email makeaspectacle@blindveterans.org.uk by 10th June to register your interest in options 1, 2 and 3.
Visit blindveterans.org.uk/makeaspectacle to find out more!
Simon Brown’s Story….
“Dear all,
I was 28 when I was shot in the head while saving the lives of six comrades in Basra, southern Iraq. I survived, but the damage to my face was catastrophic, and I lost all of the sight in one of my eyes and all but 30% of the sight in my other eye.
Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind ex-Servicemen and women, was there to help by providing me with first class support, rehabilitation and training. I now live independently and work both as a Memberships Officer and as an Ambassador for the charity.
As well as all the invaluable and practical support offered by Blind Veterans UK, it was the sense of belonging and understanding from their community that’s really helped me to stay positive.
Blind Veterans UK helped me through the very worst times and for that I am very grateful. Supporting the charity by working at it and trying to spread the word about its work as much as I can is my way of saying thank you for everything they have given me.”