About 4,000 unwanted spectacles collected in Wiltshire will go to help people across the world.

The initiative was arranged by Dr Michael Green, a member of Devizes Lions Club, and the spectacles were collected at Wiltshire Council household recycling centres. A total of 190kg or 11 bags of used spectacles were collected and Hills Waste, which run the recycling centres, took them to the Chichester Lions Club, who receive used spectacles from all over the British Isles.

The club will send them to the Missionary Optical Society and Vision Aid Overseas for use in Eastern Europe, Africa, South America, the West Indies, India and Nepal.

Mr Green said the amount sent from Wiltshire was the largest single collection of used spectacles received by Chichester Lions.