Four Manchester residents have been shortlisted from thousands of proud glasses wearers as regional finalists for Specsavers’ Spectacle Wearer of the Year.
Godwin Onyekachi Okpacho aged 41 from Fallowfield, Bernadette Kay aged 66 from Wythenshawe, Elle Syddall aged 29 from Manchester city centre and Gillian Walsh aged 36 from Salford could all follow in the footsteps of last year’s award winner, Love Island hunk Alex Miller, winning £10,000 and the chance to mingle with the stars at the annual Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards.
Glasses wearers across the UK and Republic of Ireland have been showing off their specs style by sharing their selfies online throughout the spring and summer.
Godwin, Bernadette, Elle and Gillian were all invited to visit their local Specsavers stores in Manchester to receive a bottle of champagne, a certificate and a £125 glasses voucher.
They all took the opportunity to try Specsavers’ innovative Frame Styler technology to help choose a new pair of specs, ahead of the next round of judging.
Godwin has some advice for other glasses wearers: ‘Be bold! Wear your glasses and make them work for you. I love wearing glasses, you can make any pair look fashionable.’
Bernadette has adapted an extremely positive attitude towards wearing glasses, ‘Glasses are like makeup for me, I have complete freedom to change the way I look through the size, shape and colour of my glasses.’
Gillian says: ‘I wear my glasses because I need them, but I also wear them to complement my style. Both of my pairs of glasses are very bold, and I coordinate them with my outfits. I receive more compliments when I’m wearing my glasses then without!’
Elle says: ‘There’s so much variation of glasses, and wearing specs is the perfect way to be unique and show off your sense of style. I feel so much more confident when I’m wearing my glasses and treat them as I would any other fashion accessory.’
Amanda Pedder, retail director of Specsavers Wythenshawe, Swinton and Fallowfield says: ‘We’re delighted with how far Godwin, Bernadette, Elle and Gillian have come in the competition. We really hope one of them goes on to win the grand prize, and everyone in all Manchester Specsavers stores’ will be rooting for them over the next few weeks.’
The awards were launched by Steps star Claire Richards earlier this year. If they triumph in their individual age categories, Godwin, Bernadette, Elle and Gillian will meet Claire and rub shoulders with many other celebs at the glitzy awards ceremony at London’s 8 Northumberland Avenue in October.
There are five age categories – 16-24; 25-34; 35-44; 45-59 and over 60, plus a Facebook favourite voted for by the public. All age category winners will win a VIP makeover, with one overall winner taking home the ultimate accolade in specs wearing.
