Remarkable roles: Caring for the Scilly Isles

The tiny granite archipelago of the Scilly Isles sits 28 miles off the Cornish coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Anyone who has visited the Isles on holiday can not help but fall in love with their tranquillity, beauty and wealth of flora, fauna and history. Its past is steeped in tales of wrecking and for many years its people made a subsistence living from fish, potatoes and cut flowers. More recently tourism has taken over as its main source of income.

Its unique setting, white sand and shimmering sea also pose its 2,200 inhabitants with some interesting optical needs. In the past those needs were met by a Penzance-based independent who visited the islands four times a year in week-long stints. More recently the service was opened up to other providers but this did not work out and the Scillies were left without an optical service.