Raising money for Ben’s Den
Colleagues from two local opticians are putting their best feet forward in a marathon walking challenge to raise funds for a children’s cancer charity.
The Specsavers’ teams in Ilkeston and Long Eaton are hoping to collectively clock up 250,000 steps along with colleagues from three other stores to contribute towards the fundraising effort.
All money raised will go towards The Ben Parker Trust, a charity that supports the families of children fighting leukaemia or cancer, by gifting them a free holiday and allowing them to spend much needed quality family time together away from the overwhelming hospital environment.
Each of the teams from all five stores – also including Beeston, Eastwood and Castle Donington – are aiming to achieve 7,000 steps per day using a stepper machine, taking it in turns to contribute to the total throughout the day.
Money raised from this venture will be added to funds recently raised by the stores’ director Krishna Parmar, who has just returned from a marathon trek in the Himalayas, walking more than 5,000m up to the Everest Base Camp.
Christopher Costa, from Specsavers Ilkeston, says: ‘We are trying to achieve about the same number of steps between us that Krishna would have walked while she was on her trek. Each team member will use a stepper to help us keep count.’
The stores are also holding a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses to support the fundraising, with some great prizes including a pair of designer glasses from Specsavers.
‘I am very proud of our teams for the effort they are putting in to support my fundraising trek and raise money for this incredibly important charity,’ says Krishna. ‘Every pound donated will be going to support the families of children going through leukaemia and cancer.’
Pictured: Jake Kirk, from Ilkeston Specsavers and Krishna Parmar.
