Rhyl has had its fair share of criticism over the years, having been consistently classed as one of the most deprived towns in Britain, but now the Welsh town is fighting back. Rhyl is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound regeneration project with an aim to take the town back to its glory days as a popular seaside resort.
Practice manager of Rhyl’s Scrivens practice Andrew Bosley says the town is a pleasant place to practise. ‘We’re not far from the sea front and it’s lovely in the summer when people can go out and have their sandwiches on the beach. It’s a great location – we’re on the main street and it’s also close to a car park which is important for any practice.’
Yet Bosley (pictured left) admits the town is struggling to advance. He says: ‘No new shops are coming in and the larger stores are leaving. We are getting by but the town is going downhill. Rhyl seems to have lost a lot of good quality shops like Clarks and Next and just last week Co-Op shut down.’
Independent practice Morrice-Evans Opticians is run by husband and wife Tudor and Cheryl Morrice-Evans and their son Rowan. Cheryl says: ‘We are firmly convinced that we have survived all this time because of the relationships we have built up with patients. Being part of a coastal town means the footfall is much lower than our city counterparts but we have found that we have a very loyal patient base and some people who come to Rhyl each year on holiday have become regulars.’
Although the practice offers a vast range of frames and lenses, it is currently seeing a trend in occupational and digressive lenses. ‘Technology today encourages the use of computers, laptops and tablets and the use of technology is not limited to the younger market only. We have used Essilor’s Interview and Computer 2V lenses for some time.’
The town’s Specsavers has adapted its practice to suit Rhyl’s residents. Ophthalmic director Hannah Bradley says: ‘Rhyl has an ageing population and as a result the whole practice is completely accessible via wheelchair. We’re working to support the elderly population through our hear care and domiciliary Healthcall visits meaning we can offer services for those unable to attend the practice.’
Boosted by Welsh Eyecare Services (Wecs), the store is often the first port of call for GPs and accident and emergency departments. Bradley says: ‘We have to be flexible with our emergency service appointments and we aim to get someone seen within 24 hours.
‘We do find referrals coming in who have never visited a Specsavers branch but they see the way we work and then come back for their regular sight tests. It’s helping us build a great reputation within the town.’
Who’s in town?
Total: 4
Independents: 1
Multiples: 3
Average costs
Prices of an eye examination range from £21 to £30. The average cost is £27.
Population - see pie chart
Rhyl population: 25,149 (ONS 2011)
Community eye care
Eye care services in Rhyl are provided by Wecs (Welsh Eyecare Services) in urgent eye problems and low vision.
Health and affluence
- The average house price in Rhyl is £128,390 (Rightmove, 2016) compared with an average of £216,750 for England and Wales (Land Registry, 2016)
- NHS expenditure on vision problems in Denbighshire county per person is £106, compared with the UK average of £89 (RNIB Sight Loss Data Tool 2015).
- 760 patients live in Denbighshire with late stage wet AMD and 370 with dry AMD (RNIB).
- There are about 1,200 people living in Denbighshire who have cataract, 870 people with glaucoma and 6,620 with diabetes. Some 1,910 patients have diabetic retinopathy according to RNIB figures.
Fun facts
Rhyl FC, nicknamed Lilywhites, won the 2003-04 Welsh Premiership.
Since 2009 the town has played host to an annual air show which draws in thousands of people every year.
Actor Spencer Wilding, who played Darth Vader, pictured, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, lives in Rhyl.
Rhyl’s Sun Centre leisure centre, which shut down in 2014, featured Europe’s first indoor surfing pool.
The first human inhabitants of Wales lived in Denbighshire nearly 250,000 years ago.
Rhyl is home to Britain’s oldest miniature railway.