PETERSFIELD Lions Club is hoping to celebrate its 25th anniversary by collecting its two-millionth pair of spectacles through its annual Spectrek appeal. For the last 25 years, Petersfield Lions Club has organised an annual collection of used spectacles throughout Hampshire and surrounding counties. With the help of other Lions clubs, around 1.8 million pairs have been collected, graded and despatched to Asia and Africa for re-use. Now, club president Clive Midson wants to make the club's quarter-century year extra special by passing the two million mark. He said: "We are are grateful to the companies and other Lions clubs in the area who have given such vital support over the years. "And it would be terrific to double the number collected this year and exceed two million in total on our 25th anniversary." According to Mr Midson, 'Spectrek' started with a casual chat over a beer. In the early 1980s, the Petersfield Lions had collected several thousand pairs of spectacles as part of the continuing campaign for sight conservation mounted by Lions clubs throughout the world. The spectacles had to be transported to Weymouth in Dorset for regrading and subsequent distribution to the third world. "A member perhaps jokingly suggested pushing them there by wheelbarrow and collecting from other Lions clubs along the way," he explained. "Whether they meant it seriously or not, 20 members of the club took it in turns to push two barrows along the south coast to the Dorset seaside resort. The operation took three days and was supported by local companies who provided wheelbarrows and support vehicles. "The resulting delivery numbered 50,000 pairs of spectacles." The exercise has been repeated every year since, to varying destinations, using transit vans provided by local companies rather than wheelbarrows. The quantity collected each year has amounted to between 50,000 and 100,000 pairs, with a total over 25 years of just under two million. Clive said that collecting two millions pairs by the end of the celebration year would be a massive achievement: "Realistically, this is unlikely, but every pair collected has the potential to restore sight where needed, and this is the main point of the exercise." Unwanted spectacles can be handed to local Lions clubs throughout Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Berkshire. In Petersfield, there are collection points in the library, the Community Centre, and at Tesco. Additionally, to celebrate the 25th anniversary, the Petersfield Lions will be displaying some of this year's collection in a wheelbarrow in The Square on weekends during April. There will be a competition to guess exactly how many pairs are in the wheelbarrow, with proceeds going to sight- conservation charities. This year's main Spectrek collection takes place on Sunday, April 22.