PEOPLE in some of the poorest countries in the world have been given the gift of sight from a husband and wife team from York.

Colin and Ruth Perrott, both 59, of Bishopthorpe, have helped to send a quarter-of-a-million pairs of glasses over the past 21 years to help people with poor eyesight across the globe.

Together, with the help of volunteers from the Rotary Club of York Ainsty, they sort, wash, grade and package the glasses to send monthly shipments of glasses to people who would have otherwise been unable to have them.

The team sends an average of 10,000 pairs overseas a year to numerous countries in Africa through Vision Aid Overseas (VAO) and other charities.

Mrs Perrott, an optometrist, has also made numerous trips to Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Malawi to volunteer with helping patients, on one occasion trekking through jungle in Cameroon to reach people.

Mr Perrott said they took pleasure from being able to help people see properly: “It’s what we call the VAO smile – when someone puts a pair of specs on and sees well.

“We will continue with it - we can’t stop it, the specs keep arriving,” he said. Mr Perrott said glasses were continually left on their driveway as so many people know about their charity work – on one occasion he said they found 13 pallet-loads brought from Hull.

They also work with other Rotary charities and Madalitso Project Malawi Trust in Dringhouses.

To donate your old glasses to charity, phone VisionCare Optometry on 01904 784040.