ALISON RENNIE
A teacher is hoping to be top of the class in a national glasses wearing competition.
April Hamilton is one of the finalists for the annual Specsavers’ Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition.
The 31-year-old could take home £10,000 and have the chance to mingle with the stars at the annual awards ceremony in London in October.
April, who’s a special needs teacher at St Anthony’s Primary in Johnstone, which has a special needs unit, is delighted to be a finalist.
She said: “I’ve entered the competition every year since its inception. I’ve always been really proud of wearing my glasses.
“When I got the call from David at Specsavers I thought it was because I needed an eye test. I didn’t think I would have made the shortlist.
“I got my first pair of glasses when I was seven or eight. I didn’t realise that other people weren’t seeing things a bit fuzzy the way I did. I’m lucky I’ve never felt different wearing my glasses.
“As a teacher, I come across a lot of pupils who have shame around their glasses and I want to show them that you can be fabulous with specs.
“I wear big obvious glasses and talk about them all the time so the children see somebody positive with glasses.”
April, from Elderslie, has worked at St Anthony’s for the last seven years and said the staff are all really supportive of her success so far in the compeition.
She’s also proud that the competition supports anti-bullying charity Kidscape.
Thousands of glasses wearers from across the UK and Republic of Ireland have been sharing their selfies online for the last few months.
Judges from Specsavers stores helped whittle down the entries and April is one of 20 regional finalists in Scotland.
In the next few weeks she’ll find out if she’s made it to the final shortlist to go to the glittering ceremony in London.
The awards were launched by Strictly Come Dancing star and TV personality Oti Mabuse earlier this year.
April added: “I now really hope I can make it to the final in London. It would be an awesome way to show that regular people wear glasses. They’re not for just librarians and geeks – they’re a brilliant accessory.”
April was invited to visit the Specsavers store in Paisley’s Moss Street to receive a bottle of Champagne, a certificate, and a £150 glasses voucher.
Store director Gail Thompson said: “We are thrilled that April is a semi-finalist – it would be a brilliant achievement to get to the next stage, and we wish her all the best.”
There are eight categories including a social media winner voted for by the public. All category winners will win a VIP makeover, with one overall winner taking home the ultimate accolade in specs wearing.