Some of her statistics from the ride are as follows:
70 hours of cycling over 10 days
15,231 meters climbed
18,912 calories burned
310,800 rotations of the pedals
3 inner tubes
1 tyre
1 set of break blocks
1 collapsed bridge and river crossing!

Sight Loss and Vision is a group of organisations and charities that are uniting to shape the future of eye research. They would like as much feedback as possible to identify and prioritise unanswered questions about the effects of treatments that they agree are most important.

Please could you take a few minutes to think about what questions you would like to be answered and complete the online survey? To answer the survey click here

If you are a member of any other eye related associations or organisations would you consider sending out a link for the survey to them?

You can contact them by telephone to answer the survey questions or you can request the survey in an alternative format if needed.

Thank you very much for your help. Everyone’s opinion is valuable.

Hoping to raise £1,000 through sponsorship, Elaine knows the sum will keep all four of the vision clinics running for two weeks each, as she explained –

“It is good to have a target and as I am cycling I will have this thought very much in mind. Cycling with my husband, we have 900 miles to cover during the ten days. We have tracked the route and are prepared for the 45 hill climbs. The first day will bring 12 through Cornwall, so that will be tough. I am most looking forward to cycling around the lakes in Scotland.”

Elaine commutes to work each day from North London to her job as an optometrist at Specs of Kensington (pictured here with practice owner and supporter, Daska Barnett).

“I love the freedom of cycling. It is certainly a fantastic way to get around,” she added.

Anyone wishing to support Elaine should visit Click here to go to her Virgin Money Giving page.

The funds will be used to meet the running costs of the opticians’ practice which operates within the Crisis centre in Whitechapel, East London and to facilitate another day’s clinics each week.

As Harinder Paul, the optometrist charity founder, explained –
“We are a very lean charity thanks to the tremendous generosity of the volunteer optometrists and dispensing opticians who give their time so freely. The lens companies, glazing labs, frame providers and diagnostic technology specialists are tremendously supportive but we still have some overheads in terms of premises and this wonderful cheque goes a long way in meeting those. Our own optical City Livery Company connecting with a charity which is so close to home is particularly pertinent.”

Harinder Paul is pictured receiving the donation from the SMC Master, Professor John Marshall, at Apothecaries’ Hall, London.

With more than 5,000 pairs of glasses now dispensed from the charity’s centres, the Patron Lord Filkin CBE, pointed out to Peers, MPs and optical industry guests that homelessness is becoming more of a problem and more centres are needed –

“We have found it possible to create a low cost, low overhead, service to fill the gaps in society. If the charity did not exist there would be 5,000 people in the UK who had not been helped to better vision.”

The charity’s clinics in London and Birmingham, which provide eye examinations and the dispensing of new glasses in an environment in which homeless people feel comfortable, are soon to be extended.

A new centre is to open in Brighton in June and the London centres are extending their opening times, as Harinder Paul, Chief Executive of the charity explained –

“Within an hour of opening the appointment book for the centres each week most of the appointments have gone. Through largely volunteer staffing we can make a tremendous difference. Our vision is to have a centre in every city in the UK where there is a need and we are now looking northwards.”

Generous donations during the seven years of the charity’s work include support from Horizon, Shamir, Essilor, Hoya, Polaroid, Keeler, Topcon, Boots, Kentoptic, Bondeye Optical, DX Courier, Outside Clinic, Performance Finance, Thomson Software Solutions and Optometry Giving Sight.

To find out more about volunteering or supporting the charity contact: will.pearce@vchp.org.uk or visit www.visioncareforhomelesspeople.org

In the photo from left to right:
Stuart Cooksey (Shamir UK Ltd), Stuart Burn (Performance Finance), Nahida Haque (VCHP London Clinic Manager), David Thomson (Thomson Software Solutions), Michael Potter (ABDO Head of Marketing), Ian Wooster (Horizon Optical Co. Ltd.), Janice English (VCHP Trustee P.R.), Charanjit Bharj (VCHP Trustee Legal), Chris Bennett (Optician Magazine), Andrew Slaughter (M.P.), Preston Everard (Kentoptic), Barry Simons (VCHP Trustee Vice-Chair), Elaine Styles (VCHP Trustee Chair), Harinder Paul (VCHP MD), Lesley-Ann Murrey (VCHP Trustee), Jennifer Brower (ABDO) and Jill Lambert (VCHP Trustee Birmingham).

“Elaine Styles is the Chair of a charity that encourages optometrists to volunteer their services to enable it to offer free sight care and free prescription glasses to the most excluded in the UK, the rough sleepers and the homeless.

She works tirelessly for Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP) to enable the charity to offer the dignity of optimum visual health to its client group during their darkest hour. She achieves this by leading a truly diverse board of professional individuals that includes an accountant, a lawyer and health workers and fund raising and marketing experts. Their diversity extends to a high percentage of female executives, something so aspirational in the modern board room.”

Elaine Styles, Chair of the Charity, explained –
“Topcon has been amazingly generous. When we were setting up London’s Hammersmith Broadway clinic we sent out a wish list. Topcon delivered all of this and more – they exceeded our expectations. The most amazing thing was a binocular indirect headset – which many practices don’t have.”

The Topcon fundus camera, donated to the East London Skylight clinic, proved its worth on the first day –
“A gentleman was found to have a retinal haemorrhage which turned out to be caused by high blood pressure, know as “the silent killer” because it rarely has any obvious symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent a heart attack or a stroke, so thanks to Topcon this was picked up.”

In addition, Topcon provides on-going support with free servicing and calibration of the donated equipment.

Vision Care for Homeless People has centres in London, Birmingham and is soon to open another in Brighton. Volunteer optometrists and dispensing opticians are always needed to run the clinics – perhaps for just a few hours each month.

The charity is particularly busy during the festive period when it supports Crisis at Christmas with a full time eye clinic and dispensing service, supported by Essilor.

Are you taking part in an organised event or considering undertaking a personal challenge and would like to raise money for a great cause? If so go to our Virgin Giving Money charity page and register your event.

Vision Care for Homeless People is now registered for Gift Aid and we have joined Virgin Giving Money, our online fundraising partner. This enables you to make a donation easily and securely. Please support Vision Care for Homeless People and help vulnerable people to see.

Your support will help Vision Care for Homeless People to transform lives. You can add gift aid to your donation and we get paid a further 25% on your donation. Every £5 you raise or donate can pay for Vision Care for Homeless People to provide an eye examination and a pair of glasses for a homeless person.

Thank you for your time and support.

The worthy team of volunteer optometrists and dispensing opticians were only able to complete their rewarding work due to the generosity of the Outside Clinic which had loaned two domiciliary kits to the charity. Grateful thanks also go to Essilor which provided not just the lenses but also free glazing for this very worthwhile initiative –

Mike Kirkley, Managing Director of Essilor, was praised for his company’s generosity by Elaine Styles, the charity’s chair –

“There were seven per cent more visitors to the Crisis Centres this Christmas over last year and as more of the homeless in London heard about our service we were working to full capacity. This really highlights the need for the service that we provide – not just in London but throughout the country.”

Anyone thinking of volunteering in future is urged to look at the YouTube link, which shows what a rewarding experience working at Crisis at Christmas can be:

“We greatly admire the work of the charity and feel it is important to support them in helping the homeless and vulnerable to get back on track. Good vision is easy to take for granted and so we are pleased to be able to contribute by donating products and services,” said Stuart Cooksey, Shamir National Sales Manager.

Elaine Styles, Chair of Vision Care for Homeless People, praised Shamir’s support for the recently opened Shepherd’s Bush centre, explaining –
“We recently had a 30 year old in with a prescription of +12.00d and no glasses. Partly due to our help he is now on a training course and aiming to get back to employment.”

The charity’s e-Christmas cards are a great solution to reducing the costs of wishing friends and business colleagues festive greetings -
“Thousands of pounds are spent each year on purchasing Christmas cards and the costly postage. So much more could be achieved if those funds went towards changing someone’s life, here at home, in the UK,” added Elaine.

A donation of £5 pays for an eye examination and glasses for one person, thanks to the donated professional time, testing equipment, frames and lenses, at the centres in London and Birmingham. A donation of £400 funds one of the centres for a month.

To purchase the e-cards please click here