Optalis raise £600 for The Link Visiting Scheme

Optalis raised a total of £600 last week for local charity The Link Visiting Scheme through a raffle and a pub quiz event for staff on December 12.

The quiz, which was organised by Optalis’ very own Community Involvement Group, saw around 10 teams battle it out for top spot, with The Mighty Oaks claiming victory at the end of the night! There were also three food and drink hampers up for grabs at the event.

Optalis chose The Link Visiting Scheme because loneliness can be a real problem at Christmas time when many older people may feel particularly isolated. They may feel lonely for many reasons, such as distance from other family members, a long-term illness, or even long-term isolation within their community. The charity help by offering a compatible volunteer, based on interests and personality, who visits the older person and maybe even take them out for a coffee and a chat.

Optalis offer a range of support services ‘in the home’, as well as residential care, and so the company felt it was a charity with a strong connection to what Optalis already tried to achieve -positive outcomes for older people and people with a disability.

Scheme Coordinator at the charity, Marjie Walker, said: “'Feeling lonely and isolated is a growing problem in our community. Loneliness can have a huge impact on your physical health and your mental health. We really appreciate all the support we receive to enable us to help more older people struggling with loneliness; making friends and engaging in your community transforms lives.

“Thank you to everyone at Optalis for your generous support. We're also keen for more people to volunteer for this worthwhile cause.”

Optalis managing director Andrew Pickup highlighted the positive impact of the community involvement initiative on Optalis, and said: “I think it is important as an organisation to become more involved with the community and with charities. We’ve deliberately chosen small, local charities, and we hope that our donations can make a difference to people in the Borough.”

(More information about The Link Visiting Scheme available from scheme coordinator Marjie Walker on (0118) 979 8019, or email: marjie@linkvisiting.org)