Merseyside Opticians run London Marathon For Crisis

Dispensing optician director Mathew Robinson from Specsavers Belle Vale and Halewood raised £2060 for the business’s official charity partner Crisis UK.

Crisis works with thousands of people experiencing homelessness, providing education, training and support with housing, employment and health. Through its frontline services across Britain, the charity helps people find a path out of homelessness for good.

Mathew says: ‘Crisis is a charity very close to our hearts at the Belle Vale and Halewood stores, and we couldn’t be prouder of our final total. The London Marathon has always been a goal of mine and I’m so happy to have run it in such an amazing charity’s name.

‘Across Merseyside, and the UK more widely, more and more people are struggling with affording the cost of living. We want to ensure everyone receives the care they need through our free eye care clinics, and that we focus our fundraising efforts to ensure we can help those who desperately need it.’

As part of Specsavers and Crisis’ ongoing partnership, Specsavers colleagues across the UK regularly volunteer at free eye care clinics for those experiencing homelessness, including the teams at the Halewood and Belle Vale stores.

Specsavers is also supporting the Big Issue Group as part of a broader campaign to break down the barriers that people experiencing poverty and homelessness face in

receiving eyecare, as for many, a lack of permanent address prevents them from accessing NHS services.

Specsavers is celebrating 40 years of care this year. From its humble beginnings from a ping pong table in the founders spare bedroom in 1984, Specsavers is now the largest privately-owned eye care and audiology company in the world with more than 2,500 businesses in 11 countries.