Opening EYES on St Albans was Jez’s dream. Even when he was fitting out the shell of the shop, he was determined that his little corner of the Quadrant was to become part of the community.
Not just the Marshalswick community, but St Albans as a whole – by doing what he could to support as many charity and community initiatives as possible.
There are so many places that you may have spotted the distinctive EYES logo now – on a sports kit, in a school fair programme, at the St Saviour’s Beer Festival, an Ask for Clive event, on a postbox topper label… the list goes on.
After a cracking evening on Saturday on ‘The Sunny Side’ of the Quadrant where the local businesses came together along with some excellent street food vendors for a (very hot) evening of socialising and food, our attention turns next to one of the charities of whom Jez is a Trustee, St Albans Action for Homeless (SAAFH).
The St Albans community already do great things in supporting the homeless in St Albans. Seeing the time and generosity that goes into preparing the Saturday night dinners and snack bags that are shared out by the Action for Homeless team proves this every week.
As part of their work, SAAFH, support a small number of men who live at Hope House as they try to get off the streets and into a more stable life.
So…
On Friday night (15th September), Sharon Linney along with Lynn Dutton, Mandy McNeil, Sheri Edwards and Emma Parkhouse from The Great Northern Pub will be spending the night outside M&S in St Peter’s Street – with just a sleeping bag each to keep them from the elements and they’ll all be eating as part of the food run which will be provided by The Great Northern.
They’ll be there from 7pm to 5am – if you’re in town that evening, please do pop over and have a chat about what they’re doing and see if they need anything. You can also support them via their Give As You Live page; https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/campaign/st-albans-sleep-out
If you’d prefer to enjoy some live music, Jez will also be at the newly revamped Pioneer Club (where he is also a Trustee) on Friday 29th September where his long-time friends (and multi award winning global blues/rock group) The Starlite Campbell Band will be kicking off their UK tour from 7.30. The band played at the official opening of EYES on St Albans 5 years ago – and are known for bringing their brilliant music and atmosphere to all sorts of venues.
Jez is the band’s exclusive eyewear stylist – both Simon and Suzy are both wearing Kirk & Kirk frames at the moment. There are plenty of stories to tell about their escapades over the years – and none of them can be put in print!
The Pioneer Club was established in 1941 (remember that for your next St Albans quiz) and the first skateboarding ramps were installed in 1987. As we’ve said before, Jez is a massive lover of all things rock and roll so his association with the Club mixes this with wanting to make St Albans a better place for all of us.
Get your tickets here: https://tickets.pioneerclub.co.uk/events/2023-09-29-starlite-and-campbell-the-pioneer-club
EYES on 1 in every classroom.
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