Specsavers Swinton take fundraising to new heights

Five daring workers from Specsavers in Swinton and Wythenshawe are testing their limits by taking part in a skydiving challenge to raise money for a national sight loss charity.

Tom Duffy, Callum Pennington, Tazneem Patel, Kirsty Doyle and Christina Arguile from Specsavers in Swinton and Wythenshawe are taking part in the RNIB’s ‘The Big Jump’ on 23 September, which will see a team of thirty fundraisers from across the business take to the skies for the jump of a lifetime to celebrate the charity’s 150^th anniversary.

The en-masse sky dive will be taking place just before National Eye Health Week (24-30 September), kicking off a week packed full of fundraising for the RNIB across Specsavers’ stores in the UK.

Amanda Pedder, store director of Specsavers Swinton and Wythenshawe store confirmed that her team’s fundraising target is £3,000, and that they have already raised 47% of their target.

The Wythenshawe store will also be hosting a family fun day on Thursday 30 August to raise funds for the charity. Visitors will be able to enjoy a whole host of fun activities in aid of the event, with in store entertainment, competitions and fancy dress.

In addition, the Swinton store has recently hosted a bake sale, raising an impressive £250 for the charity.

Through their work at Specsavers, the team understands the importance of eye tests for detecting eye conditions that could otherwise go undetected and potentially lead to sight loss.

Christina Arguile, in-store trainer at Specsavers Wythenshawe, says: ‘Half of all sight loss cases are preventable – and a simple eye test can be the first step in prevention. Our mission together with RNIB is to transform the nation’s eye health through education, awareness and action.

‘We’re all absolutely terrified, but anything we could do to fund more research into sight loss is definitely worth it. We hope all of our customers and members of the general public will come along to our fundraising day and support us.’

Every day in the UK, 250 people start to lose their sight. Currently, the RNIB can only reach one in three people so the organisation desperately needs more funding so that no one is left to face sight loss on their own.