Dumfries Lions Club member Wendy Tremble isn’t afraid to make a spectacle of herself if it encourages others to support a worthy cause.
She’s keen to put everyone in the frame about a project which recycles unwanted and damaged glasses to help others around the world.
And, together with fellow Lions, she is calling on residents in the region to dig out any unwanted specs they have and take them to one of the collection points in Dumfries and Moffat.
Most people don’t throw away their unwanted glasses or frames and tend to stuff them away in a drawer for years doing nothing.
Wendy said: “We are asking people to have a good look for unwanted and damaged spectacles they’ve got hidden away and then drop them off in the collection boxes set up in shops locally.
“They will be put to very good use and will be much appreciated. We are also collecting unwanted hearing aids which can also be recycled and put back into
use.”
She added: “We have just started this but are already getting a lot of support and we have had more than 800 pairs and hearing aids handed in so far.
“We are grateful to all our current and emerging collection points for their assistance in having our donation box available for people to drop off their glasses and hearing aids.
“I’d welcome enquiries about the project and from anyone wanting to become a collection point and I can be contacted through the club’s Facebook page or by email at dumfrieslions clubsco@gmail.com.”
Fellow club member, John MacColl, said: “This is a Lions International project that provides the eye camps with spectacles that are urgently needed to help those who require treatment to restore or improve their sight in countries all over the world and we are pleased to be involved.
“In conjunction with other Lions Clubs in the UK, we are going to send all we collect to Chichester Lions Club which processes tens of thousands of recycled spectacles each year.
“All donated spectacles will then be examined by a team of Lions and other volunteers in the recycling workshop and sent for grading and distribution by Medico France in Le Havre.
“The Chichester Club also sends on spectacles direct to contacts running eye clinics in Ghana, Nigeria, Nepal and Sri Lanka and volunteers from Unite for Sight charity are supplied with spectacles to take with them
on missions to countries
across the world.
Glasses and hearing aids can be dropped off in Dumfries at: The Nationwide Building Society, Church Crescent; Murray Pharmacy; the Baptist Church; The Salvation Army Centre and also at Calders Hetland Garden Centre, Carrutherstown. In Moffat, there are collection points at Colin Picken Opticians and Barnado’s.
