THREE colleagues from Specsavers are celebrating after raising almost £1,000 for charity.

Store Manager Hannah Smee, 40, and husband Mark, 35, a contact lens fitter, from Islands Brow, raised £327 for Parkinsons UK at the St Helens 10k.

While James Helsby, 31, from Windlehurst, raised £159 for local St Helens charity, the Honey Rose Foundation.

Specsavers then matched their contributions, bringing a grand total of £972 raised so far this year.

Following the fundraising, James, a dispensing manager at the St Helens branch, was full of praise for the work that the HoneyRose foundation does.

He said: “The HoneyRose Foundation is a great local charity, which earlier this year, granted a wish to a friend of mine who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

“She’s a huge Emmerdale fan and the Honey Rose Foundation arranged for her to visit the set. They even arranged for the actor who plays Andy Sugden to run last year’s St Helens 10k.”

Store director Tom Lowry was delighted with the efforts made by his team.

He said: “I am extremely proud of the work that Hannah, James and Mark have done in raising money for these valuable causes.

“Not only are they a credit to their families and of course, Specsavers, this effort also illustrates their selfless character.

“As a store, we always try to support our excellent team of staff, so matching the funds was a natural next step for us, and ensures we’re giving back what we can to local and charitable communities.”