THOUSANDS of pounds has been raised for the Welsh children’s hospice, T? Hafan, through performances from a touring choir, which included visits to Monmouthshire opticians.

Specsavers stores in Monmouth, Chepstow and Abergavenny, along with 34 other stores across mid and south Wales, raised more than £7,500 for the charity with its festive male voice choir, which performed traditional Welsh hymns and carols at each store.

Ashish Sharma, Specsavers store director in Chepstow said: “This is the second year that our choirs have descended on the streets of Monmouthshire, and we’ve been thrilled with the reaction we’ve had from staff, customers and the community.

“The choir certainly hit all the right notes encouraging people to dig deep for T? Hafan, a charity which we are so proud to support.”

Made up of 12 Welsh choristers at every performance, the choirs sang throughout November and December.

Alison Stallard, head of fundraising at T? Hafan, added: “We’re tasked with raising more than £4 million a year to provide our specialist services free of charge and this genuinely wouldn’t be possible without support from fundraising partners like Specsavers.

“It has been wonderful to see the choir perform, come rain or shine this winter, in locations throughout the country – a big thank you to everyone who donated and supported this campaign.”

Specsavers announced its partnership with T? Hafan in September 2016, kicking off the year-long commitment with a donation of £10,958 - the amount it costs the charity to provide a family with 24 hours of care.

The charity cares for life-limited children and young people, and provides vital support to their families, both within the hospice and through its community outreach programme.