Dame Mary Perkins thrilled by honour

Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, has been appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Dame Mary, as she can now be known, is the first woman optician to receive such an accolade, which is in recognition of her services to business and the community in Guernsey.

'I am absolutely thrilled, as you can imagine,' she said of hearing the news. 'This is a huge honour, not just for me but for everyone at Specsavers, as we all work as a team to give our customers what they want - quality, value for money professional eye care.