The team at Specsavers Colwyn Bay has been honoured for looking after the eye health of local people by Specsavers founders Doug and Dame Mary Perkins.

Colwyn Bay is one of only five Specsavers from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland to receive the Dame Mary Perkins medal for Customer Service Excellence this year. The winners received £1,000 in prize money and attended a celebration dinner at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham, held in their honour.

They received their medals from Dame Mary Perkins on stage at the Specsavers Professional Advancement Conference (PAC) at the ICC in Birmingham earlier this month.

PAC has been running for more than 30 years and has become one of the largest and most valued clinical conferences for Optometry and Audiology professionals in the UK and Ireland.

Says Dame Mary: "Specsavers’ mission is to change lives through better sight and hearing. This year’s winners are all shining examples of how our optometrists and audiologists do that every day. Congratulations to all of them."

Colwyn Bay has a team of 26 staff members including six resident optometrists and a pre-reg optometrist as well as an audiology hub with two audiologists and two hearing aid dispensers.

Over the past two years they have raised money in store for two of their younger patients. They helped Henry, who was diagnosed with Leukaemia, to fulfil his ambition to visit Disneyland in Florida. They also raised money for patient Rhea who - after a routine eye exam and referral by one of our optometrists - was successfully treated for a brain tumour.

Says optometry partner Andrew Deeley: "Fundraising for our community is one of many reasons why we enjoy what we do and why it is so rewarding working here.  Clinical excellence is core to our success, and we encourage our clinical team to constantly keep up to date with training and regularly provide funding and support to complete higher certification courses.

"It’s always inspiring to see how the team handle challenges with grace, and the support and care they have for each other. This award recognises what a brilliant team we have at Colwyn Bay and the excellent customer care we provide."

He adds: "I’m proud that Specsavers Colwyn Bay is a key part of the neighbourhood health service. We have built strong relationships within the community, working closely with key healthcare providers and are working together to improve quality of life for local people."