Livingston Optician provides Children from Belarus with free eye care and specs

The group of 28 youngsters and their two interpreters were on a visit to Scotland facilitated the Friends of Chernobyl's Children, a charity which provides respite to children still suffering the effects of radioactivity following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster.
 
The store provided eye health screening to the entire group, with full tests given to those who required them. Five of the children needed glasses, which the store provided for free.

It is the fifth consecutive year the store has opened its doors to groups of children brought to Scotland by the charity.
 
Store director Ted Akil says: "We were delighted to welcome the children to the store and provide them with eye checks as well as £5 gift vouchers and t-shirts.
 
"The trip was great opportunity for them - a month of having fun and eating nutritious food in a healthy atmosphere can boost their immune systems, and the opportunity to visit an optometrist and have their eye health checked was a really important part of their visit."
 
Heidi Grant, from the Friends of Chernobyl's Children Edinburgh West Branch, was delighted to receive a helping hand from the Livingston optician, particularly as many of the children who visit come from impoverished backgrounds where glasses are often unaffordable.
 
She says: "Most of these children would never have the chance to receive an eye test without this help. One girl in this particular group had worn the same pair of glasses between the ages of 4 and 11 with no change in prescription. Another was almost blind in one eye and did not realise the world looked any different. Now these children and many others have had their lives changed thanks to Specsavers and we feel extremely lucky to have their support. I look forward to hearing from anyone who would like to help raise funds or awareness of Friends of Chernobyl's Children in the future."

For more information visit www.focc.org.uk.