
Ayrshire opticians go extra mile to raise funds for charity
Team members at Specsavers in Ayr have raised £535 for Comic Relief by embarking on an epic journey of more than 21km, running from Irvine to Ayr. William Westell and Jennifer Carten, team members at the High Street store, embarked on the Ayrshire wide half marathon on March 23, all to raise further funds for the charity as part of Red Nose Day. The money raised will support Comic Relief, helping to provide aid to incredible projects and organisations who aim to bring joy and kindness to families and communities across the UK. The team in store also dressed up throughout the week to raise more funds via in store donations and held a drawing competition for children to draw their favourite character wearing a red nose, as well as selling red noses. Linda Fulton, store director at Specsavers Ayr, said: "I'd like to thank all of our customers who have helped make our Red Nose Day fundraising such a success. "Congratulations to both William and Jennifer on successfully committing to such a challenging cross-county run, all for a fantastic cause. We're all so proud of them. "I'd like to extend that thanks to the Specsavers Ayr team who went above and beyond, who put the fun in fundraising across the week too, and well done to our two drawing winners. "We hope that this funding goes on to help share a smile with families who need the support." Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Careers fair in Newport helps one person land apprenticeship
The Careers Wales event at the Newport Careers Centre took place on April 16 and saw 67 people attend. The event aimed to give people the chance to connect with local employers and apprenticeship schemes. Attendees were able to ask questions and receive practical support from Working Wales careers advisers. The event had a strong turnout from young people and featured a range of organisations like Office for National Statistics (ONS), Educ8, and Specsavers. Chelsea Dopson, stakeholder engagement adviser at Careers Wales, said: "We're thrilled with the turnout and impact of this event. "Bringing together employers, training providers, and jobseekers in one space creates a fantastic environment for real conversations, advice, and opportunities." The event reportedly led to positive outcomes for many, including one attendee securing an apprenticeship at Specsavers. Feedback from both visitors and exhibitors was 'overwhelmingly positive.' One customer said: "Wonderful staff present, very accommodating with myself and young children. "Easily signposted, helpful and kind." Another visitor added: "Everyone had excellent info to give and answered all my questions." Working Wales is delivered by Careers Wales and funded by the Welsh Government to provide careers guidance and employability support to those aged 16 and above.


BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Specsavers to offer free tea and coffee to Dublin commuters
Specsavers have announced that they will be offering free tea and coffee to commuters in the Dublin area this week. From May 27th until May 29th, between 8-11am at Central Plaza, Dame St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, commuters can swing by the Specsavers coffee van for a complimentary tea or coffee. Advertisement The company have said the initiative is not just about a free tea or coffee, but is a chance to think about what perks employees may be missing out on at work. They said workers may be entitled to free eye tests and glasses from their employers if employees spend more than one hour a day using screens for work. Kerril Hickey, chairman of Specsavers Ireland, said that although we all know that the first coffee of the day is essential, so is your eye health. "We hope this will open up the conversation on eye health in the workplace and encourage people to talk to their employers about their corporate eyecare entitlements, all while enjoying their morning cuppa." Advertisement The Specsavers team will be on hand to discuss all things eyecare, and will drop a few hints about what employees should be asking their bosses for, like eyecare vouchers. Specsavers said that for just €25, employers can provide an eye test and up to €100 towards selected glasses. The company also said that Specsavers corporate eyecare vouchers "offer responsible employers an easy, cost-effective way to stay on stop of their responsibilities, and at the same time, make sure employees can avoid unnecessary discomfort at work." They added that it is a "simple way to keep everyone happy and healthy and look after their team."


Wales Online
18-05-2025
- Wales Online
No-one recognised this quiet man stood in a Welsh town centre - but he's made billions from us
No-one recognised this quiet man stood in a Welsh town centre - but he's made billions from us Douglas Perkins is a billionaire. He is also a man who can walk around his home town of Carmarthen and his home county of Carmarthenshire and not be recognised by anyone Specsavers co-founder Doug Perkins (Image: Chris Tostevin-Hall ) As shoppers meander through a Carmarthen shopping centre, they're oblivious to the man standing outside one of its shop fronts. Dapper and unobtrusive, he goes unnoticed until the sound of a photographer's shutter captures the attention of those passing by. "Who's the guy in the suit?" queries one passer-by. He's a billionaire with roots in Carmarthenshire. His lineage is local; his father served as a policeman and his grandparents tilled the land here for generations. He received the full grant available - £300 annually - when he heading off to Cardiff to study at the university. "That was a lot of money in those days - I was very grateful for it," he reflected, seated comfortably in the Carmarthen outlet of his business. Doug Perkins opening the Specsavers shop at Carmarthen (Image: Mike Walters ) Doug Perkins, alongside his wife Mary, launched Specsavers in 1984 on the island of Guernsey. Now, fourty years on, their enterprise boasts close to 2,000 branches stretching from Carmarthen to London, Guernsey to Aberdeen, and even overseas in Spain and New Zealand. Their venture, which sells millions of spectacles and contact lenses each year, has grown into the world's largest privately-owned optician chain. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here Article continues below The Sunday Times Rich List of this year, 2025, estimates the family's fortune at approximately £1.539bn. Quite the achievement for a lad from Llanelli. He attributes his astonishing success to a background and upbringing that emphasised the principle: if you don't work, you don't get. He staunchly adheres to this maxim: "I am well and truly working class. And I've used it as an advantage: it gives you extra drive, there's no doubt about that. When others may have slackened off, I've kept with the same work ethic for 50 years and I really enjoy what I do." Doug points out that his commitment to industriousness and straightforward hard work is what allowed him and his wife to construct an extensive empire from modest origins (his earlier days were spent working in a bowling alley in Ammanford) and what has maintained their business's preeminent position. "Being working class gives you a work ethic but it also allows you to identify, always, with the importance of the customer, young and old, rich and poor," he explains. "That's one of the reasons why we've never gone on the stock exchange, because then you would spend half your time talking to institutional shareholders. "I'm not working for next year's results like most people on the stock exchange, watching the share price bob up and down - that doesn't interest me at all. My shareholders are out there on the shop floor." Doug's life took a turn in the 1970s. Following a humble start, he met Mary, and after tying the knot, they relocated to Guernsey to be closer to her family on the island. Together, they initiated a venture named Bebbington and Perkins ("in those days you had to call your business by your proper names"). Upon selling this firm, the enterprising pair went on to found Specsavers. "It was a project. We had invented this concept and we wanted to prove that the concept was a winner against some of these corporate companies. It got so exciting that we just wanted to keep going and we still feel that way. "We didn't have any big ambitions then, only to come back to Wales and to the west country, but we had so much interest that we decided to go national." Regular trips to Carmarthenshire remain on Doug's itinerary to maintain ties with family and his cherished Scarlets ("and to support the academy, which is the best in Wales"). SpecSavers founders and husband and wife Doug and Mary Perkins Doug's passion for rugby is evident from his time playing with the Carmarthen Quins during the 1965/66 season, and he notes the significant progress the town and county have achieved since. However, despite various transformations, Doug remarks: "I recognise that Carmarthen has kept its character - it still works as a market town, and it still brings people in from great distances. "Carmarthen works, Llanelli works, but I do think Carmarthen probably works better because it's retained its central character - not too much has gone to the outskirts - but Carmarthenshire as a whole is a great retreat. It's not a surprise to know that more people are coming here. West Wales in general has hugely improved; it's an amazing place." Despite his fondness for his home county, Doug has no plans to relocate back to West Wales permanently. He's been living in the same house that he and Mary purchased when Specsavers was merely a concept. "I've not been attracted to move anywhere else and I normally keep the same car for about 10 years!". "People think, 'this guy might be bonkers'. They might think why on earth, if he lives on an island and he's got the same house and the same car, is he still working? I can't really answer that." Looking ahead, Doug believes that, due to an ageing population, there will be an increased demand for glasses. "If you're going to live until you're 90, you're going to get eye problems. We can help stop that. I think we would like to grow where we can make a difference. We have a very good team of people now and we're ambitious to do even more significant things." Doug, now in his 70s, will play a pivotal role in these plans, continuing to grow a business that is fundamentally rooted in a strong work ethic, while delegating some tasks to his trusted deputies in Specsavers stores across Europe and globally. "In terms of our senior management, I think a fair number of them have working class backgrounds. They seem to identify better with the value for money and the personal service side of things," he says. "I don't personally go out looking for working class executives, but they seem attracted to the values that we have." Article continues below