A Pembroke Dock optician has launched a fundraising campaign to raise £5,000 for a charity that provides support and treatment to people and families dealing with cancer in Wales.

Specsavers in Dimond Street will join forces with fellow Specsavers stores across Wales to raise money for Velindre Cancer Care by hosting a series of fundraising events, culminating in a charity dinner at the Vale Resort on Tuesday, September 25.

The dinner will be hosted by international rugby referee Nigel Owens and will also feature a charity auction of rugby memorabilia courtesy of Specsavers' sponsorship of the RaboDirect PRO12 League.

Money raised will go towards helping Velindre continue to provide support and care to cancer patients and their families.

Velindre Cancer Centre is the largest non-surgical cancer hospital in Wales, providing radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other specialised anti-cancer treatments for over half the people diagnosed with cancer in Wales. On average, Velindre Cancer Centre provides care, treatment and support to over 130,000 out patients and day cases every year.

According to statistics from Cancer Research UK, one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, although more people survive cancer than ever before thanks to early detection and better treatments.

Gary Owen, director of Specsavers Pembroke Dock, said: "Unfortunately, it's a sad fact that many of us, at some point in our life, are affected by cancer. Velindre is a fantastic charity that does a tremendous job in providing cancer care and support to people across Wales, and so we were delighted to support them by launching this fundraising initiative.

"I know that the team here are really keen to contribute as much as possible so that we reach our target of £5,000.

"The charity dinner itself promises to be a fantastic evening as well, with some great guests and prizes, and it will be a fitting way to round off the fundraising campaign."

Andrew Morris, head of fundraising at Velindre Cancer Centre, said: "We are absolutely delighted that Specsavers in Pembroke Dock has chosen to support us; these are extremely challenging economic times, and support like this is very welcome. We are extremely grateful to Specsavers, all their staff and customers for their wonderful efforts."