Vision Care encourages participants to join the London Walk

Vision Care is encouraging optical professionals to join the charity for the London Walk on Friday 20 March to support eye care for people experiencing homelessness.

The London Walk is a sponsored overnight challenge organised by the national homelessness membership charity, Homeless Link.

The challenge offers participants three distances; 10km, half marathon, or marathon, through central London. The challenge starts and finishes near Trafalgar Square.

The 2026 event will mark Vision Care’s, formerly known as Vision Care for Homeless People, second year of participating in the London Walk. Last year, 14 walkers participated on behalf of Vision Care, raising £12,000.

Alison Gordon, fundraiser for Vision Care, said: “We’d love even more people to join us this year. With three distances available, it’s an accessible and rewarding way for the optical community to support eye care for people experiencing homelessness and is a perfect team or individual challenge.”

Vision Care explained that walking overnight provides an opportunity to reflect on the reality faced by many people experiencing homelessness.

Vision Care

Vision Care

Vision Care

Stephen Pratt, Vision Care’s static clinic manager, will be completing the marathon distance. He said: “Participating in the London Walk marathon provides an important opportunity to highlight the critical role that accessible eye care plays in supporting people experiencing homelessness.”

“Through this effort, I aim to reinforce Vision Care’s commitment to reducing health inequalities and ensuring that no individual is prevented from reaching their potential due to untreated vision needs,” he said, adding: “Each mile walked reflects our organisation’s dedication to delivering practical, life‑changing support, and to raising the awareness and resources required to extend our impact even further within the communities we serve.”

Jo Holmes, a volunteer dispensing optician with Vision Care and former ABDO president, said of the experience of supporting the charity: “Volunteering at Vision Care clinics took me straight back to my roots and reminded me why I entered the profession in the first place. At these clinics, everything else is stripped away — you meet people who are simply trying to survive. Untreated vision issues can be yet another barrier for people experiencing homelessness, and that’s something our profession can help to address.”

“That is why I decided to sign up to do the London half marathon walk for Vision Care: I want to highlight people’s realities as well as raise money to maintain our clinics,” she said.

Vision Care is encouraging those interested in joining the charity for the London Walk to secure a place via the registration link and select Vision Care for Homeless People as their chosen charity.