A MALVERN opticians is hoping to raise up to £1,000 for a leading eye care charity by sponsoring a team of intrepid explorers as they drive a tuk-tuk all the way to Marrakesh.

Holland Opticians has already pledged £600 of sponsorship to Paul Morrissey, Debbie Morrissey, Bobby Whatley and Andrew Coles, who will be driving the tuk-tuk to Morocco to raise money for the charity Sightsavers.

They hope to top it up to four figures by raffling a shirt signed by Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford and holding further fundraising activities at the practice in Graham Road.

Optometrist Kirsty Litherland said: "We’re always keen to support good causes but COVID meant things got put on hold a bit.

"We’re glad to back sponsoring activities such as this and hope our contribution can make a real difference.

"It will be an incredibly exciting trip for all those involved and the tuk-tuk looks amazing.

"Sightsavers is a cause close to our heart and we hope plenty of our patients get involved and help take the total past the £1,000 mark."

The Marrakesh Express team sets off on May 5 next year, with an overall fundraising target of £10,000.

The 2,000 mile route will take them from Malvern to Portsmouth before they board a ferry to Santander and travel overland throughout Spain to Gibraltar before another ferry to Morocco and overland to Marrakesh.

Sightsavers helps protect the rights and health of blind and visually impaired people across the world.

The organisation works in more than 30 countries worldwide helping treat debilitating conditions like cataracts, performing more than eight million cataract operations since the 1950s.

As well as surgery, the charity helps combat neglected tropical diseases such as Trachoma and river blindness and advocates for the rights of visually impaired people.

To find out more about the Malvern to Marrakesh challenge and to donate, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marrakeshexpress2023