TINS of food, packets of pasta and fruit are some of the items you might expect to be donated as part of Harvest Festival celebrations.
But this year, one Leatherhead church is making a more unusual request, as it asks residents to "harvest" their spectacles.
The Parish Church of St Mary and St Nicholas is collecting unwanted pairs of glasses to donate to Vision Aid Overseas, a charity which provides eye-care in Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Burkina Faso.
Peter Steadman, of the church, said: "It is difficult for the average town-dweller to take something from our working lives to present at Harvest Festival.
"This is something we can almost all do. A lot of us have them lurking about the home. Our old pair, granny's old ones. That pair we found when we cleared auntie's house.
"It's a useful act too – Vision Aid Overseas really can recycle the spectacles we've grown out of."
From September 1 to 30 there will be collection points at the church, Patricia Morgan Opticians , Donner Optometrists, WA Truelove, BFree Youth Cafe and B@titude . For a full list visit www.musiconthursdays.org/harvestspectacles.html
