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Advertorial from Specsavers

Specsavers take to the streets with The Big Issue to experience life of a vendor  

Join Specsavers' co-founder Dame Mary Perkins and the company’s CEO as they don the iconic red tabards to sell The Big Issue in London, as part of their mission to improve access to care and provide vital eye and ear care to vulnerable populations 

Dame Mary Perkins and John Perkins stand outside King’s Cross station, wearing red Big Issue tabards over their clothes. Dame Mary holds a copy of The Big Issue magazine, and both are sporting red tabards. The bustling background hints at the busy London atmosphere, with a clear sky overhead and modern architecture around. They seem engaged in their role, aiming to understand the experience of magazine vendors.
Advertorial from Specsavers

People from all backgrounds and identities sell The Big Issue, especially in the multicultural melting pot that is London. The pair currently donning the iconic red tabards on a bright spring day around King’s Cross station, however, are among the more unusual you’re likely to meet. They are John and Dame Mary Perkins. Dame Mary, along with her husband Doug, co-founded Specsavers in 1983. The company has grown to become the UK’s leading high street opticians and audiologists, a partnership of almost 2,000 locally run stores, with each store part-owned and managed by its own directors. Dame Mary and Doug’s son, John, is Group CEO and Head of Sustainability.

Partnership Goals

They are here to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by people who sell The Big Issue, and to shape Specsavers’ ongoing initiative to support one of the most vulnerable groups in our society. Specsavers has partnered with Big Issue Group to give our vendors free eye tests, glasses and ear health checks. It’s part of a larger initiative by Specsavers to make an impact on homelessness in the UK, working with charities Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP), Crisis and Simon Community, alongside Big Issue Group.

Lobbying for Change

In addition to providing practical, on-the-ground solutions like eye tests and free glasses, the company is also working with Big Issue founder Lord John Bird to lobby parliament to improve community-based eyecare and improve accessibility for everyone.

A Day as Vendors

Spending a day in the shoes of Big Issue vendors and working alongside people who do this day in, day out, is an eye-opening experience for the Specsavers team. “This is tough; have no qualms about it,” admits John. “You are out on your feet all day, you have to be vulnerable and have conversations with strangers as they walk past. This is really difficult.” For Dame Mary, a qualified optometrist with over 50 years of experience, the most shocking part is how invisible someone perceived to be in poverty can be, even in a distinctive red tabard. Often, people don’t want to acknowledge her at all. “I’ll put my hand up here and say I did try to give one away for free. I told them they didn’t need to pay, and they didn’t want a free one. It’s not easy to do this,” she says.

The vision I had was that we were there to change people’s lives through better vision, and that we were there for everyone

Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers

Fortunately, two experienced vendors, Lee Gibbs and Mick Morrow, are on hand to show Dame Mary and John how it’s done. Their crash course in selling The Big Issue syncs neatly with the philosophy in which Dame Mary founded Specsavers. “The vision I had was that we were there to change people’s lives through better vision,” she says. “And that we were there for everyone.” This commitment to inclusivity is at the heart of Specsavers’ partnership with Big Issue Group.

Addressing Accessibility

John explains: “It’s really important for us. We want to improve the accessibility of eye and hearing care for people experiencing homelessness. We believe that access to better care is a fundamental human right for everyone.” However, as Dame Mary and John discover during their day selling the magazine, there are significant barriers for some to access the care they need. Big Issue vendor Lee, who has been selling the magazine for two and a half years, shares the problems people can face accessing eyecare. “I have a number of friends who are almost off-grid, which means they’re not known to the system. So if they have to go somewhere and give their details, they won’t go. If the second question is, ‘What’s your address?’ that’s the end of the conversation.”

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The Impact of Support

We believe it’s our responsibility as a market leader in optics and audiology to make a difference and to improve the accessibility of care. And that, fundamentally, businesses that have the ability to act, have the responsibility to act

John Perkins, Specsavers Group CEO and Head of Sustainability

John explains why Specsavers is taking action to address issues like these: “We know that one in three people experience problems with their eyesight if they’re also experiencing homelessness. But we also know that it’s very difficult to break that cycle if you’re having trouble seeing or hearing the things around you.” Lee highlights the importance of the Specsavers voucher scheme, which entitles all our vendors to free eye tests and ear health checks, and free glasses: “For me, the Specsavers voucher gives me a little bit of independence.” And he appreciates how welcome he felt when going into a store. “It felt like, ‘OK, Lee. They’ve got time.’ I was treated as normal.”

Responsibility

For John, his experience of selling the magazine reinforces Specsavers’ commitment as part of a wider ambition. “We believe it’s our responsibility as a market leader in optics and audiology to make a difference and to improve the accessibility of care. And that, fundamentally, businesses that have the ability to act, have the responsibility to act.”

Learn More

Find out more about how Specsavers is working to tackle homelessness across the UK at specsavers.co.uk/homelessness.

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