Helene Wilson vision treatment is set to change life for the 59-year-old Consett volunteer, who has been awarded free vision correction at Optegra‘s Gateshead clinic after her neighbour put her forward as a local hero for decades of charitable work in the town.
Wilson’s nomination centred on a long record of community service: supporting the Royal British Legion, volunteering with the Building Self Belief charity, fundraising for the Project Linus scheme which provides quilts to children who are ill or in distress, and playing a key role in securing funding for the memorial honouring Consett’s steelworkers. Her neighbour submitted the nomination. Wilson had no idea it was coming.
‘I was shocked and taken aback,’ she said. ‘And it happened so quickly, I couldn’t believe it. I’m not used to being in the spotlight like this, it’s very unusual for me. I am fortunate to be able to help other people, and it gives me great satisfaction.’
Free Helene Wilson vision treatment at Optegra Newcastle
Optegra has been running a campaign over the summer to find and reward local heroes with free vision correction. The prize covers one winner at Optegra Eye Clinic Brighton and one at Optegra Eye Clinic Newcastle, and Wilson takes the Newcastle spot. Treatment is subject to clinical suitability. If a winner is not clinically suitable for vision correction surgery, Optegra will provide a £300 Vision Express voucher towards glasses or contact lenses as an alternative.
Wilson will be treated at the Optegra Eye Clinic in Gateshead, which Narin French, clinic manager at Optegra Eye Clinic Newcastle, confirmed is based on the Team Valley Trading Estate. French was clear about what the team thinks of their recipient.
‘Helene has spent years helping others see a brighter future,’ French said. ‘Now it’s our privilege to help her enjoy a brighter future too. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of being recognised as a true Local Hero. From what we have heard, she never seeks recognition for herself; she simply gets on with making a positive difference wherever she can. Her selfless service, tireless volunteering and unwavering commitment to supporting people of all ages make her a truly deserving recipient of this life-changing gift.’
What Wilson gets out of it
For Wilson, the appeal is bluntly practical. Reading glasses have been a fixture of her daily life for long enough, and she is done with them.
‘It does my head in wearing glasses,’ she said. ‘I’ve got used to them and accepted them, but of course I’d rather not wear them. It will be liberating and lovely not having to chase around the house for my glasses.’
That image (hunting the house for reading glasses) will resonate with plenty of people across the Northeast. And for someone who has spent years showing up for everyone else, finally having something show up for her is the right kind of ending to the story.
Optegra provides both private and NHS care for conditions including cataracts, acute macular degeneration and glaucoma. The company is part of the multinational firm EssilorLuxottica. The Local Hero campaign is open to nominations from across the country, with the Newcastle and Brighton clinics each selecting one recipient, subject to clinical suitability at the point of assessment.
Wilson’s case is a neat illustration of what the campaign is designed to surface: people doing sustained, unglamorous community work with no expectation of reward. From Project Linus quilts to the steelworkers’ memorial, her contributions have been spread across causes and age groups over many years. The Helene Wilson vision treatment prize is the first time any of that has come back to her directly. Her treatment at the Gateshead clinic will follow a clinical assessment to confirm she is a suitable candidate for vision correction surgery.