Local opticians work together to support Sophie’s Legacy

The stores – in Farlington, Havant and Waterlooville – have recently sponsored a pizza night each at Queen Alexandra Hospital to give patients, parents and staff a treat.

And now the teams will be setting up collection points this festive season for the third time so that staff and customers can drop off donations of toys, snacks and new toiletries for Christmas.

Sophie’s Legacy was set up in memory of Sophie Fairall by her mum Charlotte, after Sophie sadly died at the age of 10 after battling a rare form of cancer for a year.

Sophie wanted to see change for children in hospital and their parents and carers – including improvements to food for children in hospital and for parents to be fed when staying with their child – and also to see an increase in the amount of funding spent on childhood cancer research.

The charity has since raised thousands of pounds and has been able to provide life changing support to child patients, parents, carers and staff at hospitals across the South.

Darren Wilson, retail director at the Specsavers stores in Farlington, Havant and Waterlooville, said: ‘Sophie’s Legacy is a really good cause, and we’re delighted to have been able to support it so far – and to be able to continue to do so.

‘We’ll all be dropping some items in to show children in hospital and their parents or carers that we’ll be thinking of them this Christmas, and we’d like to encourage our customers to do so too. It doesn’t have to be anything big – it really is the thought that counts. We hope to collect lots of lovely things to hand over to the charity in December’.

To find out more about all the services available at the Specsavers stores in Farlington, Havant and Waterlooville, visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores or call 023 9225 9073.