RESIDENTS in Stockton are being urged to donate old and unwanted glasses to the town's Environment Centre.

The centre is supporting Vision Aid Overseas, a national charity which launches about 15 projects each year in Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Eastern Europe.

It recycles second-hand glasses, handing them out to those in need.

Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton Borough Council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "It is so easy to change the lives of people just by giving them a pair of spectacles. It is such a tiny thing to do, but the effect on somebody's life can be enormous.

"We can help people gain independence and we can open up new opportunities for them, allowing them to do things they couldn't before, whether it's playing games, reading, doing household chores or going out to work."

Glasses can be dropped off at the centre in West Row, Stockton, council buildings or libraries.

Those in bad condition, broken or bi-focals cannot be accepted.