Aberdare regional finalists hope to reach finals of annual spectacle competition
TWO Aberdare women have reached the regional finals of this year’s Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition.
Jessica Collins, 24, and Theresa Davies, 32, are in competition with other regional finalists to win the main prize – a £1,000 voucher for Specsavers and £10,000 cash.
Ms Collins, a secondary school teacher in Neath, and Ms Davies, a civil servant in Cardiff, both entered the competition after seeing it on Facebook.
‘The kids in my class always say they prefer it when I wear my glasses, so I thought this was a good way to encourage them to know that wearing glasses isn’t a bad thing or anything to be embarrassed about’, says Ms Collins, who also says she feels ‘comfortable’ and ‘cool’ with her glasses on.
Ms Davies adds: ‘I completely forgot about the competition and never expected anything to come of it, so was very shocked when I received the call.
‘What was first a necessity has now become part of my everyday style.’
To mark their achievement so far, they were both invited to their local Specsavers in Aberdare, where they were each presented with a certificate, a bottle of champagne, and £150 to spend in the store.
The 2017 awards were launched earlier this year by multi-platinum pop star, Nadine Coyle, who won the ‘Best Specs Newcomer’ award at last year’s event.
There are five age categories in the competition – 16-24; 25-34; 35-44; 45-59 and over 60s, plus a Facebook favourite voted for by the public. The winner from each age category will be announced at a celebrity-studded awards ceremony in London on 10 October, and will also enjoy a VIP makeover.
Store director, Neil Robinson, says: ‘It’s fantastic to have two regional finalists from Aberdare. We’re not the biggest town, so this is really exciting and certainly doesn’t happen very often.
‘Both women are confident in their frames, and on behalf of the whole team at Specsavers Aberdare, I wish them both the best of luck in the competition. We hope they make it to the finals in London.’
For each entry made £1 has been donated to Kidscape, adding to the £400,000 that the campaign has raised for the anti-bullying charity over the last six years. The money raised will help to support Kidscape to provide training, support and advice for children, parents, schools and those who may be affected by cases of bullying and abuse in the UK.
