Melksham Lions World Sight and Diabetes Day

MELKSHAM Lions are holding a Sight Awareness and Diabetes Day on Thursday 8th October.

The event, which will take place at Melksham Town Hall between 11am and 3pm, aims to raise awareness of sight problems and diabetes within the community.

Specsavers will have an area for information and demonstrations of the impact of sight problems. Julie Burrage, store manager at Specsavers Melksham said, “We’re really looking forward to getting involved with the Melksham Lions World Sight Day activity.

“We will have a stand at the event, handing out balloons and leaflet, as well as offering any help and advice to people with questions about looking after their eyes.

“World Sight Day is the perfect opportunity to reinforce the importance of regular eye examinations, it’s not just a test to check how well you can see, but can also detect a whole host of conditions including glaucoma, diabetes and in rare cases even tumours. Please do come along and get involved.”

Mayor of Melksham, cllr Terri Welch, will also be attending the day. She said, “We all take our sight for granted, but without it, life would be very different.

“Everyday tasks would change, our independence would disappear, no more driving to the shops to pick up something we have forgotten. The faces of our loved ones would either vanish or become indistinct, their expressions unclear.

“In our world we have opticians and doctors to hand, but perhaps we don’t use them as much as we should Nor do we keep checking our diets and keeping ourselves healthy.

“How much more difficult is it for people from developing countries without easy access to the services we take as our right.”

The event will also be supported by Gompels Pharmacy who will be doing diabetes screening and blood pressure monitoring. They, along with Diabetes UK will be able to answer any questions relating to diabetes. Why not go on over and have a cup of tea and a chat.