A HAYDON Wick grandfather has been chosen the South West’s hottest glasses-wearer – for the second year in a row.

Keith Harcourt Jukes, a 69-year-old RAF veteran, was chosen from thousands of spectacle wearers to be crowned South West winner of the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition.

It is the second time in as many years that he has been awarded the regional champion title in the "Over-60s" category.

The short-sighted grandfather-of-two started wearing spectacles 30 years ago.

Now, he chooses between half a dozen pairs of glasses that he wears regularly.

Keith said: “I was in Spain a couple of years ago and I saw the competition on Facebook, after a friend had shared it. I took a selfie and I thought I’d enter that.”

He said being crowned a winner was an “excellent feeling”.

Keen golfer Keith, who worked on anti-aircraft missiles in the RAF before spending 30 years working in local government, encouraged people to buy the best glasses they could.

He said: “It’s a confidence thing. My advice would be to get the best glasses you can afford, then get a second opinion to make sure they look good. Once you have the glasses, wear them with confidence.

“I’ve worn glasses for 30 years now and initially I was very self-conscious of wearing them. But that has disappeared and I now love them.”

His two grandsons, aged 19 and 24, are happy for Keith’s win. “They said, ‘Well, go for it, Pops.’”

Keith last month visited Swindon’s Regent Street store, where he was handed a certificate, bottle of champagne and £150 eyewear voucher.

Steve Kipling, store manager at Specsavers Swindon, said: “It was great to meet Keith and the whole team is hoping he can make it through to the grand final. To have someone there from Swindon would be fantastic.”

Keith will now be put forward for the next phase of of the competition. An overall winner from each of the five age categories will win a VIP makeover and the chance to meet celeb glasses wearers at an awards ceremony in London.

An overall winner – chosen from all age categories – will win a £10,000 cash prize and £1,000-worth of new glasses.

The competition is intended to boost spectacles-wearers’ confidence. For each entry to the competition, £1 has been donated to anti-bullying charity Kidscape – with £400,000 raised so far.

Keith said: “It’s a good cause.”