Eyewear surprise for Special Olympics hopeful

Ellie-Bea with Andrew Oliver and Gemma Zanna of Tom Davies

Dispensing optician Andrew Oliver presented a pair of bespoke Tom Davies frames to Northampton gymnast, Ellie-Bea Thomas, recently to help her focus on going for gold at the Special Olympics.

Andrew, who practises at Tompkins, Knight & Son Optometrists in Northampton, personally arranged for the glasses to be designed by Tom Davies as a surprise for Ellie-Bea, who recently returned from the European Championships in Slovakia with six silver medals. The Union Jack-adorned frames feature a specially-adapted bridge to stop them sliding down Ellie-Bea’s nose.

Andrew said: “Ellie-Bea is an incredible young woman who has defied the odds to compete on the international stage. She is a long-standing patient of ours and we are all really proud of her success.

“We thought it was only right that she has some frames made in her honour to reflect her achievements – and there’s nobody better than Tom Davies to create a bespoke design that not only looks great but also allows her to compete to the very best of her ability.”

Ellie-Bea, who competes in rhythmic gymnastics, has taken part in three Special Olympics and has her sights set on the 2021 Games in Liverpool. She is also targeting the 2023 World Games in Berlin.

She said: “For a long time I had to have glasses which didn’t really fit properly and I didn’t like them but TK&S found me some with a special bridge which work brilliantly. Since then I love wearing glasses and to have some designed just for me by someone like Tom Davies is amazing. I feel very lucky.”