Optical Express has donated free laser eye surgery to the Kirsty Club’s annual Angel Ball, in an effort to support the Francis House Children’s Hospice in Manchester. Held on Saturday, November 21st at the Hallmark Hotel, the event raised funds for the Hospice, a centre which provides support and care for terminally ill children and their families. The free surgery, available to be redeemed at any of Optical Express’ clinics across the UK and Europe, was raffled off among other prizes.
The star-studded event was hosted by Mike Sweeney. Other attendees included supermodel Caprice, singer Russell Watson, actor and singer Richard Fleeshman, and actors Sue Jenkins, David Fleeshman, William Roach and Denise Welch, among others.
Held annually since 2006, the Angel Ball was originally part of the campaign Kirsty’s Appeal, designed to raise £5 million for the Francis House. After meeting this goal, the charity Kirsty’s Club was founded, to provide continued support for the growth and ongoing running of the Hospice.
The namesake of the campaign and charity is Kirsty Howard, a young Briton living with a rare and unnamed condition where her heart is back to front, causing her internal organs to be misaligned. This inoperable condition requires constant treatment, including a steady supply of oxygen. In 1999, at the age of 3, Kirsty was given just six weeks to live. She celebrated her 14th birthday this September. She has won numerous awards for her courage and charity work, including the 2001 Child of Courage Award, the 2002 Pride of Britain Award, and the 2004 Helen Rollason Award.
Joanna Patterson, marketing assistant for Optical Express, commented on the significance of supporting such an event: “Kirsty’s Club is such a great cause, and one that we were more than happy to support. Kirsty and all of the work that she has done to raise money for Francis House is inspirational, to say the least, and we were glad for the opportunity to contribute.”
Francis House Children’s Hospice, the brainchild of Sister Aloysius, was opened in November 1991 by the late Princess Diana of Wales.
About Optical Express
The Optical Express Group was founded in 1991 and is now a global leader of selected healthcare services, specialising in opticians services. The group covers optical stores, refractive laser eye surgery, glasses, contact lenses as well as dental clinics.
Optical Express provides trained specialists to help patients determine which laser eye surgery treatment is best suited to their unique needs and offers the most advanced eye surgery treatments such as LASIK eye surgery and LASEK as well as Advanced CustomVue Wavefront and Intralase.
