Billingshurst Lions Club: Spectacle deposit box

Where do all your donated spectacles go?

Billingshurst & District Lions Club have been collecting donated spectacles at their Jengers Mead Bookshop for many years, but what happens next?

They all go to Chichester Lions Club, to be examined by a team of Lions and other volunteers in their recycling workshop at the Apuldram Centre, a charity for adults with learning disabilities in Chichester.

Chichester Lions first collected and sorted used spectacles in 1967, becoming a major Club activity in 1980, working with the Missionary Optical Society (MOC) in Devon, for their clinics in Kenya and India. In 1985, Chichester Lions linked up with Le Havre Lions and Medico France who have the necessary equipment to clean and grade spectacles for reuse and distribution.

Today, Chichester Lions process tens of thousands of used spectacles from Lions Clubs throughout the UK, together with many others from opticians and supermarkets, all delivered to them free of charge by Parcel Force.

Apart from MOC and Medico France, sorted spectacles are also sent directly to contacts running eye clinics in Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Nigeria and Nepal, and to volunteers from Unite for Sight to take on missions to countries across the world.

Scrap metal salvaged from broken and unsuitable spectacles raises funds which support the sorting operation and provide finance for eye related projects in the UK. As spectacle recycling is a national effort, UK Lions Clubs can nominate projects in their local area.

Hence your donated spectacles can benefit a great many people at home and overseas.

Lions Jengers Mead Bookshop

The Club was delighted to re-open as planned on 15th April, and welcome the return of many loyal supporters. Thanks for all your generous donations (but please, only one bag or box at a time). Previous precautions are still in place for the benefit of both customers and voluntary staff, including face masks, sanitised hands and three people in the shop at any one time. Opening hours are again, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 9.30am till 3.30pm. And don’t forget, you can still ‘Feed the Lions’ with your surplus loose change by picking up one of their collecting jars from the shop. Thank you for all your contributions so far. Keep up to date with Billingshurst & District Lions Club on their Facebook page or on their website www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/billingshurst. Alternatively you can call 0345 833 5965. Harvey Holmes, Billingshurst & District Lions Club

Photo: Look out for the box to donate your glasses (and surplus hearing aids) for recycling in the Lions Jengers Mead bookshop

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