Worcester is a lovely place to live,’ says Zoe Langley, practice manager at Geoffrey Roberts Optometrists.
‘There’s so much history in the town, a brand new restaurant area means there are lots of good places to eat, and Worcester University has expanded hugely in recent years which means there’s lots to do for students and young people.’
Langley’s practice, which is located west of the River Severn in a ‘small, villagey’ area called St Johns, has been in town for more than 40 years since Geoffrey Roberts established it. Two years ago, Roberts sold the practice to colleague Phillip Virdi-Smith who now runs the practice, although Roberts still works there.
The practice has two testing rooms, provides contact lens fitting and audiology services. Langley says its main clientele is the over 60s and the team often sees three or four generations of the same family as a result of the good service they provide. Particular popular designs include Wolf Eyewear, Stepper frames and the Eyespace range with children.
‘Like all independents it’s about getting new clients while ensuring we provide a good service to our existing ones,’ says Langley. ‘A lot of trade comes from word of mouth as we’ve been in town so long.’
Stephen John, owner of Stephen John Eyecare in Worcester, has been in the industry for more than 30 years. He opened his own practice 18 years ago and says he has loved working in Worcester. At his practice they offer bespoke, even hand-made, frame ranges and lens designs. ‘We operate in the more complicated end of the market,’ says John. ‘Nothing phases us.’
The practice stopped advertising 15 years ago and instead relies on word-of-mouth for its custom. An approach which John says has been very successful as they see a ‘very diverse’ group of people. ‘We see judges, surgeons, engineers, the unemployed. The great British public, in short.’
Located in the centre of town, John’s practice is the only stockist of frame range LA Eyeworks in Worcestershire, which have proved to be very popular because of its ‘quirky, avant-garde designs’.
Although a purveyor of designer frames, the practice prioritises eye health over selling frames and lenses. ‘We are an optician, not a shop-tician,’ John added.
Who’s in town
Total: 12
Independents: 8
Multiples: 4
Average costs
The price of an eye exam in Worcester ranges from £0 to £45, at an average of £28.
Population
Population: 102, 338
Community eye care
According to the Locsu Atlas Map of Optical Variation, Worcestershire Local Optical Committee has a contract with South Worcestershire CCG and Wyre Forest CCG in Glaucoma Repeat Readings, Cataract Post-op and Minor Eye Conditions.
Health and affluence
- The average house price in Worcester is £249,568 (Zoopla), compared with a UK average of £224, 144 (Land Registry, 2018).
- Worcester has an average salary of £21,642, with the UK average being £27,271 (Payscale, 2018)
- In Worcestershire, it is estimated that 11,610 people are at risk of or living with sight loss due to diabetic retinopathy (RNIB)
- By 2030, the number of people with late stage dry and wet AMD in Worcester-shire is expected to increase by 55% and 58%, respec-tively – much higher than national predictions (RNIB).
Fact file
Worcester dates back to Neolithic times (around 400BC) when a village with defensive ramparts was built on the bank of the River Severn.
Britain’s longest river, the Severn, flows for 220 miles and demarcates England and Wales. It also has the second-highest tidal swell of anywhere in the world at 50ft.
The British Medical Association was founded in Worcester Royal Infirmary in 1832.
The famous Lee & Perrins Worcestershire sauce was first sold in Worcester in 1838 by John Wheeley Lee and William Henry Perrins. They built a big factory in the town that is still the main site for the production of the sauce.
The phrase ‘Dicing with Death’ comes from Worcester. During a particularly bizarre trial of two soldiers, a judge made them roll a dice to decide their fate. Whoever rolled higher was set free, the other was executed.
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