A Barry opticians has expanded its offering to the local community following a relocation worth more than £500,000 – and its staff have celebrated with a fundraising party.

Specsavers has officially relocated to the former HSBC building at 85 Holton Road, just across from its previous home – more than tripling the store’s footprint.

The new-look, two-story store has seven test rooms, up from four, and offers twice the number of audiology clinics. And five new jobs have been created as part of the expansion.

The relocation comes as Specsavers celebrates 20 years of service to the Barry community, and shortly after the store was nominated as a finalist for Employer of the Year in the upcoming Vale of Glamorgan Business Awards 2022.

The staff rallied together on Friday, 23 September to host a fundraising event in store. A Shirley Bassey interpreter, dogs from local charity Hope Rescue and a cake stall were all on display for Barry residents to enjoy. In total, £219.44 was raised for Hope Rescue and £69.05 for Macmillan Cancer Support on the day.

Two members of the team are currently taking on an Independent Prescribing course, which means they can directly prescribe medication to customers that need it, reducing the number of GP referrals the store needs to make, and, in turn, easing the pressure on the NHS. To further expand the skillset the skillset of the team, another staff member is also starting a Glaucoma Refinement course.

Helen Hopgood, director at Specsavers Barry, says:

‘There’s no better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary than to expand our business to meet the demands of our customers. To celebrate this milestone with our customers, and raise money for two fantastic charities, was an extremely proud moment for us.

‘In the Vale of Glamorgan, there are approximately 4,790 people living with sight loss, and we as opticians need to act fast if we are to help reverse these trends. By having the extra space to invest in additional state-of-the-art kit, we can do just that.’