Specsavers brothers who runs stores in Bourne, Spalding and Holbeach store spend week in Ghana to support Ashanti Development

A team of opticians headed to Africa to help provide much-needed eye care for people in remote villages.

Brothers Ian and Neil Stradling, directors of Specsavers in Bourne, Spalding and Holbeach, took 4,000 pairs of specs to Ghana.

Joined by colleagues from stores across the area to support the work of the Ashanti Development charity, they ran a week of eye clinics in the Ashanti region where few people have access to glasses.

The group visited the small Ghanian village of Jetiase and carried out sight tests for more than 1,300 people, while dispensing more than 1,000 pairs of glasses and referring more than 70 patients for cataract surgery.

“It’s estimated that 95 per cent of people that need glasses in Ghana don’t have access to affordable eye care services and glasses, so the work the Ashanti Development does makes a huge difference to the people in the community and surrounding areas,” said Neil.

The trip was self-funded, with the team from Bourne, Spalding and Holbeach taking part in fundraising for the charity before their departure, and also collecting old specs to take to the Ashanti clinic.

Optometrist, Kevin Woodbridge took part in a canoeing challenge to contribute towards the £5,000 fundraising target.

The volunteer-run Ashanti Development project runs clinics a few days every month and provides glasses for those who need them.

To find out more visit http://ashantidevelopment.org/