AFTER three months of fundraising a Burnham-on-Sea opticians has handed over a cheque for £2,000 to a sight loss charity.

Staff at Specsavers on High Street have been hard at work since July raising money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) which provides help and support for people affected by sight loss.

The fundraising effort kick started in June with a donation of £1 per sight test to coincide with National Sunglasses Day, while July saw the start of a silent auction to win a cardboard cut-out of Kylie Minogue.

RNIB mascot Sooty made an appearance in August as the store hosted a children’s fun day and store director, Rama Venkat, and his entire family had their hair shaved or cut in September, which coincided with National Eye Health Week.

Rama said he is grateful for all the support they have received.

He said: “Our original target was £500, so to have raised four times as much is fantastic.

“The whole team has put in a huge amount of effort and it’s great to see this rewarded with such a big fundraising total.

“I’d also like to say thank you to my family for supporting me with the head shave – to have all four of us taking part really made it an extra special event.”

The store presented a cheque to Jo Killick, area fundraising manager for the RNIB on October 10 which was attended by Councillor Bill Hancock, Mayor of Burnham.

Specsavers joined forces with the RNIB in 2016 to raise awareness of the importance of eye health at every level to help prevent avoidable sight loss.

For more information, visit the store at 3 High Street, Burnham on Sea, call 01278 765460 or visit specsavers.co.uk/burnhamonsea