Vision Express donates £45,000 to the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust

Patrick Tonks, chief executive of CHECT (left), accepts the cheque from Neil McGowan, retail and operations director at Vision Express (right), alongside senior PR manager Jenny Wye (centre left) and brand manager Ali Chaplin (centre right)

Patrick Tonks, chief executive of CHECT (left), accepts the cheque from Neil McGowan, retail and operations director at Vision Express (right), alongside senior PR manager Jenny Wye (centre left) and brand manager Ali Chaplin (centre right)

Vision Express has presented its nominated charity, the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT), with a cheque for £45,000 at the optical retailer’s annual Christmas quiz.

Following the success of last year’s event, the funds raised by Vision Express employees and customers nationwide during 2016 were revealed to CHECT chief executive Patrick Tonks this week.

The £45,000 total was achieved through various events such as; the company’s 200-mile Ride4Sight challenge, fund-raising events in stores across the UK and the annual Christmas quiz.

Patrick Tonks expressed what an impact the funds will make: “Our partnership with Vision Express continues to make a real difference to children and families affected by retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer found in children.”

Retinoblastoma is diagnosed in 50-60 different cases in the UK every year however, it has one of the best cure rates of all childhood cancers. In the UK, around 98 per cent of children will survive but early diagnosis is really important, showing the significance of Vision Express’s support.

Patrick continued: “Tonight has been a fantastic evening and our thanks go to everyone at Vision Express for their incredible support.”

Vision Express was the first optician in the UK to adopt a company-wide protocol alerting employees to the signs of retinoblastoma in a bid to reduce delays in diagnosis.

The charity quiz brought together over 100 Vision Express employees and associates to raise money. Some of these included; Trustpilot, Collective and De Vere Hotels.