World Homeless Day and World Sight Day
World Homeless Day and World Sight Day both fall in October and provide a great opportunity for our supporters to join us in championing the eye care for people experiencing homelessness and in raising funds to support our work.
During the week in 2025 Vision Care staff and volunteers delivered extra clinics plus hosted a mobile service, engaged with several MP’s and encouraged supporters to volunteer their time and skills, donate and fundraise. In 2026 we want to do even more. Join us this October in challenging inequalities in eyecare.
Please get in touch with Alison Gordon, our Community & Corporate Fundraiser, to find out more.
About World Homeless Day and World Sight Day
Observed every year on 10 October, World Homeless Day this global day celebrates efforts to address homelessness and advocates for improved policies and funding to prevent and end homelessness. It also raises awareness about the needs of people who currently experience homelessness and encourages local communities to take action to alleviate hardships.
World Sight Day is an international day to focus on eye care that is accessible, available and affordable to all. It is an annual day of action and awareness held on the second Thursday in October, which falls this year on October 8th.
Ways to get involved
During the week in which World Homeless Day and World Sight Day fall, the Vision Care team will be taking action to challenge inequalities by hosting additional clinics to increase access to our eyecare service and campaigning to remove barriers to eyecare for people experiencing homelessness though advocacy and education.
Volunteer
Use your optical skills to help people experiencing homelessness receive vital eyecare, by hosting a clinic in your community or helping at a Vision Care clinic.
Fundraise
Raise funds in support of our work and awareness of the inequalities in eyecare by hosting a fundraising event in your community or workplace or by taking on a sponsored challenge.
How your support helps
Your support will help change lives
Your donation
A simple eye test and glasses can make a life-changing difference. By donating, you help provide free eye care services and support fair access for all.
Your time & skills
By giving your time and skills you can help us reach more people through our services or reach people in your own community who would otherwise miss out on lifechanging eyecare.
Your fundraising
By hosting a fundraising event or taking part in a sponsored challenge, you will help support fair access to eyecare by raising awareness of the barriers people experiencing homeless face, plus raise vital funds to help us continue to provide free eyecare through our clinics.
Supporter stories
On World Homeless Day, Mondottica Group’s London-based employees came together to take part in a charity fundraising walk in aid of Vision Care.
‘The 11km ramble through leafy Epping Forest was an opportunity to raise valuable funds while highlighting everyone’s right to eye health regardless of their housing status. Coming the day after World Sight Day, it was a moment to focus minds on both important subjects and how they are at the heart of Vision Care’s important mission… A tremendous success, the walk was a positive team builder - nobody was left in the mud! - and continued our fundraising series for Vision Care.’
Exeter Specsavers partnered with Vision Care’s Exeter volunteer team to run an extended clinic for World Homeless Day and World Sight Day in October 2025, with staff providing testing and dispensing services.
Emma Ginger, optometrist director at Specsavers Exeter, said: “To mark World Homeless Day, we were pleased to host our first clinic to offer our services to people experiencing homelessness. I am incredibly proud of the team and to Vision Care who helped make this possible. It was a really successful day and very humbling to be part of it. Our team have been blown away by the experience, and there's already commitment from within our resident optometrist group to volunteer in future, which is what we hoped would happen.”
The clinic provided 9 sight tests, 1 emergency health appointment, a hospital referral for glaucoma screening, 10 dispenses, 2 replacement glasses appointments, 1 glasses repair, and collection of glasses from previous clinics.
Performance Finance abseiled 38 storeys down Northampton’s hi-rise Lift Tower for World Homeless Day 2025, raising awareness of the need for accessible healthcare for people experiencing homelessness and funds to help Vision Care provide free sight tests and glasses.
MD, Stuart Burn, who participated in the event said "Oh my god that was a hair-raising experience. Your heart is in your mouth as you step over the edge. So proud of my team, no one pulled out, and everyone completed the abseil unaided.’’
Donate
A simple eye test and glasses can make a life-changing difference. By donating, you help provide free eye care services and support fair access for all.
Get in touch
Join us this October in challenging inequalities in eyecare. Get in touch to tell us about your plans to reach people in your own community or host a fundraising event in aid of Vision Care.