Local residents are invited to bring their treasures to be appraised by the expert eye of Kate Bliss, star of TV’s Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, as she hosts a special fifth birthday pop-up ‘Valuation Station’ at the state-of-the-art SpaMedica eye hospital in Coventry.

Taking place on Saturday 26 July, leading NHS ophthalmology service provider SpaMedica will welcome the public to a celebration at its hospital in Coventry Business Park.

Visitors will be treated to free ice cream and refreshments, and have the chance to win prizes in a ‘Spin the Wheel’ giveaway. The event, from 11am, will include an official welcome, followed by the ‘Valuation Station’ with antiques expert Kate Bliss, open until 1pm.

The celebration offers the local community an opportunity to learn more about the NHS eye care services available at SpaMedica Coventry.

First opening its doors in 2020, the hospital is well positioned to improve access to eye care for thousands of local patients - like Bill Hedges, former headteacher of Coventry’s Templars Primary School for 26 years.

The grandfather of six, who underwent cataract surgery at the hospital explains: “I guess over time you adjust and assume that what you’re seeing is what something really looks like. For me the most staggering change has been colour. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the vividness of the colours around me. It still strikes me when I see how blue the sky is, or how green the countryside.”

SpaMedica Coventry Hospital Manager, Lacy Ryan, says: “With over 14% of Coventry’s population aged 65 and above, this hospital helps meets rising demand for age-related eye care - which is key to preserving independence and quality of life.

“We’re situated in a convenient part of the city, helping support the NHS to reduce waiting times for a range of eye conditions. The good news is we can offer cataract surgery within just four to eight weeks of referral, compared to a national target of 18 weeks.”

SpaMedica recently became the first healthcare provider in the UK to offer free, unrestricted transport for NHS cataract patients, helping improve equity of access for people from all backgrounds.

It operates 64 hospitals across the UK, each one supporting faster diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions like cataracts, posterior capsule opacification, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).