A KIND-HEARTED Barnt Green optician has been officially honoured by an overseas government for his charitable work.

Claude Abban was presented with a special award by the High Commissioner for Ghana at the country's annual awards ceremony in London.

It recognised his regular self-funded aid trips to Ghana to provide much-needed help in treating the blind and partially-sighted.

Claude, who is a locum optometrist for Birmingham-based Scrivens, visits Africa once a year taking with him a supply of old spectacles and equipment from his workplace.

He said: "During my first visit to Ghana when I saw how poor the technology was and how under-funded the hospitals and clinics were, I realised my expertise could make a difference.

"Being given a chance to help such needy people is reward enough in itself, but it is a real honour to have been given this additional recognition from the Ghanaian authorities."

Scrivens's managing director, Nicholas Georgevic, said: "There is a vast gap in the quality of health care provision between the Third World and the UK which can be breached by sharing the expertise of highly qualified people like Claude."