Woodbridge former Specsavers temporarily taken over by Deben Climate Centre after opticians’ move into former M&CO in The Thoroughfare

A temporary tenant has taken up residence at a former opticians in Woodbridge, hoping to bring a range of festive activities and raise climate awareness.

The Deben Climate Centre moved into the former Specsavers in The Thoroughfare on November 25.

From its new ‘climate hub’, it will offer a range of Christmas-themed activities for families, as well as information and advice on how people can address climate change.

These include a toy swap and a Christmas jumper swap.

It will remain at the store until December 23.

The Deben Climate Centre is run by Woodbridge’s mayor Eamonn O’Nolan.

He said: “This is a very well-timed opportunity for our growing organisation.

“We are hugely grateful to Specsavers Woodbridge, who did not hesitate to allow us to use the space.

“Climate awareness is rising exponentially, and the local knowledge and local projects which we are developing will help Woodbridge to adapt to these challenging times.”

Hannah Bennett-Lightfoot, from Specsavers, said the firm was eager to help after the organisation expressed interest in taking over the building.

Specsavers vacated the building at the end of October, moving into the former M&CO further down the high street – having pushed its opening date forward.

This gave the team more room to work with.

Hannah added: “As soon as we were approached about our old shop potentially being used as a community climate hub, we were really excited to help.

“Specsavers is a local retailer, proud to serve the people of Woodbridge, so we’re very happy to support projects which help our community.”