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

Select from one of the e-cards and send it to your friends and loved ones

>> Click here to send an E-card <<

VISION CARE FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE URGES RETHINK ON CHRISTMAS CARDS

Christmas card spending by optical companies, practices and optical employees could be allocated to providing eye care for the UK’s homeless population, believes Vision Care for Homeless People, which is promoting its successful e-card.

“Thousands and 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,” said Harinder Paul, Founder of Vision Care for Homeless People.

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, making a tremendous impact of people on the periphery of society, believes the charity.

Andrew Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith, officially opened the charity’s new service at Shepherd’s Bush Market Broadway Centre this week, praising the dedication of the volunteers.

“This is an inspiring project and as a model can be rolled out across the country. Such a service is set to be in greater demand as our homeless population increases due to financial pressures,” he said.

The charity recently celebrated the 5,000th pair of glasses to be dispensed by one of its centres in London and Birmingham. Actively looking at other cities where there is a need for the service, the optometrist founder, Harinder Paul, explained:

“We provide a thorough eye examination and new glasses whenever they are needed, in an environment where homeless people feel comfortable. Sometimes we have picked up pathology which needs to be referred to hospital and have been able to make a dramatic difference in helping many people to engage more with society.”

Picture shows charity patron actor Ben Miles with Andrew Slaughter MP (right) cutting the ribbon to open the new Vision Care For Homeless People clinic. Photograph by Jeff Hubbard.

Working in conjunction with Vision Care for Homeless People, Crisis is seeking volunteer optometrists and dispensing opticians to donate a few hours of their time for this very worthwhile work.

“The volunteer lines are now open on the Crisis website and we are hoping that we will receive a lot of support from the optical profession. Last Christmas we saw 242 patients, many of whom had a desperate need for glasses. This is such a valuable part of getting some of the homeless back on track,” said VCHP Chair, Elaine Styles.

Click here to Sign up

*In addition, VCHP is seeking donations of new plastic and metal frames suitable for the Christmas glazing service. Please contact the charity on 020 8356 6532 or email will@vchp.org.uk

The Award of Charity, Company or Practice of the Year is for the organisation that has done the most to promote and expand optometry, or which has brought the benefits of optics to a wider audience. Voting is open until midnight on the 23rd October so please spread the word.

I certainly think we bring the benefits of optics to a wider audience as we are helping to bring the benefits of optometry to some of the poorest people in our own community. Restoring somebody’s vision is one of the most rewarding experiences you could have, from supplying a myopic correction to a person who would effectively be considered blind without their correction to issuing a simple reading prescription so that somebody can read an application form. Getting people back on their feet and into accommodation and jobs is very important.

We are a UK charity which helps people here at home. Some practitioners may not have the opportunity or the money to give up two weeks to go abroad and work in foreign clinics but we encourage people to give a few hours to volunteer in one of our clinics.

Over a thousand hours a year of volunteering time is donated by optometrists and dispensing opticians to run our four current clinics.

It is a very rewarding experience helping your fellow human beings when they are at one of the lowest points of their life. The smile on their face when they see clearly again is priceless.

Lesley-Ann Murray, dressed as Wonder Woman and part of the ABDO Practical Examination Team, put fear to one side to raise in excess of £500.00 for the City charity – Vision Care for Homeless People. Descending 160 feet in three seconds, the fall felt like forever -

“I was absolutely terrified: shaking like a leaf and screaming, but I would certainly do it again. The views over the Thames were amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. The buzz afterwards was awesome – you certainly find your true self on the way down!” she said.

Visiting our practice which operates within London’s Crisis Skylight Centre in Whitechapel, she was interested to hear how our team has carried out 783 eye examinations for homeless people in the past 12 months and that optical volunteers are urgently needed for the London and Birmingham centres.

Impressed with the dedication of the volunteers she met, Samantha commented -

“The day I spent with the staff and patients at the clinic was fascinating. Vision Care for Homeless People is a truly special charity, which offers a ‘visual lifeline’ for homeless people. Sight is a precious gift, the sense people most worry about losing, so it was a real pleasure to see the optical professions at the forefront. This is a fantastic opportunity for optometrists and dispensing opticians to offer their skills and expertise, and to really make a difference to people’s lives.”

For those with a few hours to spare, either voluntarily or if you choose to be paid, please contact Will on 020 8356 6532.

On Saturday the 24th September 2011 Lesley will be launching herself (if not by her own will then by that of a size 11) from a 160ft crane, those of you who know her know she doesn’t exactly have a head for heights so this is going to be a real challenge for her.

Please support Lesley by making a donation here! Click the DONATE button below:

If you would like to watch Lesley’s jump join us on Saturday the 24th September at 4PM, Tooley St (nr Tower Bridge/next to the Mayor’s office)

Join Lesley on Facebook, suggestions for silly outfits/jumping attire are encouraged!