Hoya eyecare charity boost

Hoya Lens UK staff competed in the Tough Mudder event to raise funds for Orbis

An eyecare clinic in rural India welcomed its first patients last month, after a three-year fundraising campaign by Hoya Lens UK.  

The company made £50,000 to support the building programme by international eyecare charity, Orbis. The pioneering community healthcare centre, known as a green vision centre (GVC), will further the charity’s mission to strengthen vision services in rural India. 

The country has the highest number of people living with blindness and vision impairment in the world. In many areas, travelling to the nearest hospital can mean a journey of hundreds of miles, often across difficult terrain.

The new Tura GVC provides access to eyecare services for an estimated 90,000 adults and children in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya. It is equipped with solar panels, energy-efficient appliances and telemedicine software.

Fundraising for Orbis

Kate Gannon, director of programme fundraising, Orbis UK, said: “We extend our heartfelt thanks for Hoya’s incredible fundraising efforts over the past three years in support of building a new Green Vision Centre in India. Hoya’s commitment will help to bring vital eyecare services to a previously underserved area, transforming lives through the gift of sight.” 

Hoya staff took part in a range of fundraising activities to reach their £50,000 target. Highlights included a journey for vision, where 80 staff members collectively walked 5,000 miles – the distance from Wrexham to India – in just 19 days.  

The firm’s sales, production and support teams hiked up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and took on the London Marathon and Tough Mudder events. Contributions from lens sales and contactless donation terminals helped to reach the £50,000 target. 

Martin Batho, Hoya Lens UK’s managing director, said: “I’m hugely proud of what the whole team has achieved. The Orbis Green Vision Centre is a fantastic project and one that will leave a lasting legacy, bringing vital sight care services to many thousands of people over the years and decades to come.”

Find out more about Orbis’s work at  www.orbis.org.uk