Look local: Seaside staff shortages in the west

Before the industrial revolution Weston-super-Mare was a nondescript fishing village on the south-west coast of England. Being only 18 miles from Bristol, Victorian entrepreneurs saw lucrative potential in the location so developed the village into a large and popular fun fair holiday resort.

While Weston’s pier, aquarium and ferris-wheel still attract domestic tourism, a regeneration project for local housing, alongside the construction of a leisure centre and cinema has coincided with an increase in the number of families in the community. Weston has become the largest settlement in north Somerset and there are 10 optometry practices in the town.

Ruth Bowering, optometrist and director at the local Specsavers, says: ‘The seaside town attracts a lot of retired people to settle and our hearcare offer is very popular. We are working towards being accredited on the IOP (intraocular pressure) refinement scheme and we are involved in talks about introducing a post-cataract scheme. However, a big regeneration project has seen Weston grow exponentially in recent years.