Waitrose Branch Manager, Peter Falcini, is pictured presenting a cheque for £840 which the store raised through donations, to Jill Lambert who runs the Digbeth centre. Largely staffed by volunteer optometrists and dispensing opticians, Waitrose was impressed by the fact that the centre is supported by the optical industry, with donations from Birmingham Optical, Topcon, Hoya Lens, Bondeye Optical and Essilor.

The clinic runs every Monday morning at SIFA Fireside, 48-52 Allcock Street, Birmingham, B9 4DY. Anyone interested in volunteering their professional time for a few hours each month should email info@vchp.org.uk

Our message this Optrafair was:
• Increase in homelessness – therefore an increasing need for our valuable service
• We are looking to opening a new centre in the north west (possibly Manchester or Liverpool) in 2014
• The charity is in it’s tenth year – September 2013 is our anniversary

We achieved:
• 162 people signed up to our e-newsletter
• 14 people signed up to volunteer for us in our existing London, Birmingham or Brighton
• Some fantastic offers of support were made for donations and equipment

The photo is of two of our Birmingham volunteers Ralph and Margaret.

We have seen some very ingenious repairs over the years including wire, glue and wool. Check out the pair below where the right side has snapped so it is temporarily held on with wire:

The bumper 2,000 piece donation means that the volunteer qualified optometrists and dispensing opticians are now able to provide instant support for many of the visitors who come along to the centres each week in London, Birmingham and most recently, to Brighton.

Elaine Styles, Chair of the charity, expressed her appreciation –

“The Dibble Optical donation is wonderfully generous and has filled the store cupboard so that we know this aspect of dispensing it taken care of for at least the next eighteen months. About a quarter of the people we see require a simple reading correction and being able to give them this immediately after the test is fantastic. We really needed more male styles as most of our patients are men, and this is what has been donated. It frees up our thoughts for looking to open the next regional centre which will be happening later this year.”

The charity was well supported with equipment from Keeler, a Cirrus HD OCT loaned from Zeiss, mobile kits from The Outside Clinic, glazing by Essilor, ready readers from Dibble Optical and a donation for £1,500 in lieu of Christmas cards from The Birmingham Optical Group.

Scarborough-based ophthalmologist, Mr Jan Van Der Hoek was on hand for three days at the London-based clinics to follow-up immediately on any findings which the optometrists thought needed further investigation.

“The level of support that we received this year has been tremendous – to be able to put the OCT into practice was beyond our expectations and we picked up some interesting pathology. We had a few referrals straight to Moorfields and the Western Eye Hospital including an ocular hypertensive and a retinal tear. It was very worthwhile and really raised awareness of having regular/ routine eye tests among the guests. The OCT really helped this diagnosis of drusen and retinal changes and again increased awareness of having regular checks,” said clinic co-ordinator Shaneela Chana.

Vision Care for Homeless People’s new centre, within the SIFA Fireside facility in Allcock St, provides eye examinations and glasses as a first step for those in the Midlands needing help to reintegrate into society.

Charity Chair, Elaine Styles, an optometrist who works at Moorfields Eye Hospital, said good vision was something that most of us take for granted –

“Sadly many people struggle with poor vision and when you are homeless that is an added, and sometimes, major complication. Charity starts at home and we are delighted to bring this new facility to SIFA Fireside. It is particularly relevant at this time of the year when we are all thinking about giving.”

Vision Care for Homeless People is supported by donations and volunteers. If you wish to make a donation please Click here or visit Waitrose Community Matters collection point within the Hall Green store, which is supporting the charity during December.

Picture shows:
Lady Mayoress of Birmingham – Mrs Kathleen Lines
Lord Mayor of Birmingham – Councillor John Lines
Chair of Birmingham VCHP Sub-committee Mrs Jill Lambert
MD of VCHP Harinder Paul

Voting in ‘The Association of Optometrists’ Awards saw the charity take a massive 81% of the charity vote – the highest percentage in all of the 16 award categories.

Charity Founder, Harinder Paul, was elated by the news, and thanked the profession and industry donors of diagnostic equipment, glazing, frames and lenses for the “outstanding support”.

He added –

“This is a charity which operates here, at home, and many people relate to the need for this and see what a difference we make. Our very low administration and running costs make us a very lean organisation and yet making a difference to thousands of peoples’ lives. It is so easy to take good eye care for granted.”

The charity runs centres in London, Birmingham and has recently opened in Brighton, for which volunteer optometrists and dispensing opticians are needed. In addition, Crisis at Christmas in East London is supported by a range of health care volunteer providers including Vision Care for Homeless People.

AOP Chairman, David Shannon, added –

“The AOP is proud to offer a chance to celebrate the achievements of those people and organisations that give so much to the public, profession and sector. What makes the AOP awards unique is that it is their peers who vote for the winners. This year the standard of nominations across all categories was excellent. It was no easy task for the judges to pick the shortlist. Congratulations and thanks are due to all the winners for the contribution they have made to quality eye care and improving the visual welfare of the public.”

Harinder Paul is pictured below receiving his award from David Shannon, AOP Chairman at the Awards dinner in Birmingham on 18th October.

The challenge now is to ensure that the centre continues to run with volunteer optometrists and dispensing opticians needed to donate their service on Wednesday mornings from 9am to 1pm.

Kitted out with Topcon technology including a slip lamp, field screener, tonometer, retinoscope and ophthalmoscope, the practice running costs are being met by Specsavers for the next three years.

“This is a tremendous boost, so that we know we just have to find the staff to run the centre once a week. No one else is providing this level of care within a homeless centre in the area and we have already found that there is a clear need to do so,” said Clinic Manager and volunteer dispensing optician Mark Warner.

To find out more about volunteering in Brighton, at the First Base Day Centre in St Stephen’s Hall, Montpelier Place, contact will.pearce@vchp.org.uk

Fitting the partnership’s criteria for not being a large charity, the support that it has provided has included in-store “Community Matters” collection boxes in the London area and a donation of ready readers.

“We are keenly aware that we need to broaden awareness of the charity and to gain some funding from organisations beyond optics. The support that we receive from optical companies is beyond our expectations but the time has come to engage with some other supporters as well,” said Trustee Janice English.

Pictured is the collection box at Waitrose Tower Hamlets which recently raised £375.