Specsavers is still very much a family run business with family values to match and over the past few years, the company has donated more than £1 million to various charities. Recipients include Diabetes UK, Deafness Research UK, Sightsavers and Fight for Sight, among many others.

The company has a policy of adopting two optical and two hearing home and away charities, which are currently Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, Vision Aid Overseas and Sound Seekers.

Vision Aid Overseas, for whom stores collect and recycle unwanted glasses to send to the developing world, were given an additional boost recently when our stores held special fundraising days enabling them to donate more than £250,000 to build a teaching centre and eyecare clinic in Zambia, which was opened by Dame Mary Perkins in September 2011. Our staff are now working hard to raise a further £300,000 to fund outreach clinics throughout the country, enabling the 12m population to have ready access to public eyecare provision for the first time.

Eyecare charities are obviously close to our heart and Guide Dogs is a cause with which we have a long relationship with. We are currently raising funds to train 25 new Guide Dog puppies to help the blind and partially sighted.

Our Hearing Centres champion Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, which provide an invaluable service to the hard of hearing, who are celebrated in our annual Sound Barrier Star Awards. These recognise the achievements of people who have triumphed over adversity, despite being profoundly deaf or with a severe hearing impairment, as well as raising vital funds and awareness of Hearing Dogs.

Our Hearing Centres staff are also working hard to raise funds for a new school for deaf children in Kenya, with the help of our overseas hearing ambassador, British ski champion Chemmy Alcott.

We have recently joined forces with Action On Hearing Loss (formerly the RNID) to break down social barriers and encourage more people to have their hearing checked regularly.

Through our annual Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition, we support anti-bullying charity Kidscape, who are a national charity dedicated to preventing bullying and child abuse.

At a local level our stores support a huge variety of causes, charities and community initiatives, too numerous to mention. Local libraries, schools, sports teams, hospices, youth groups... the list is endless but, as Britain's Most Trusted Optician, we feel we have an obligation to the communities in which we serve.

Please help us to help those who need it most by supporting your nearest instore community initiative.