THE Mayor and Mayoress of Harrow joined in the birthday celebrations at Specsavers South Harrow with other VIP guests, including Hearing Dogs for Deaf People charity ambassador Louise Halvey and her cocker spaniel Flora.
This significant anniversary celebrations recognised the hard work and dedication of the store directors and team, and their delivery of excellent customer care across the South Harrow community during the last 18 years, representing a beacon of healthcare provision on the high street.
Combining their 18th birthday celebrations with a store re-launch, post their recent investment in upgrading the business, directors Hiral Kotecha, ophthalmic optician, and Alok Kotecha, retail director, welcomed Cllr Salim Chowdhury and his wife Mrs Jesmin Chowdhury to the store to officiate at the event.
Commenting on the birthday celebrations, Alok said: ‘We are thrilled that the Mayor and Mayoress have been part of such an important day for us.
‘Today marks a key milestone following our recent investment into the business with the upgraded diagnostic testing equipment and latest Specsavers branding and store design. We’re looking forward to the future and to being part of our community for many more years to come.’
The Mayor and Mayoress were given a tour of the newly upgraded store by Hiral and Alok who introduced them to the team and guests, including representatives from Optegra and SpaMedica, plus members of the Specsavers Greater London team, including Darren Williams, General Manager, Sujith Weerasinghe, Specsavers Regional Relationship Manager, North West London, and Dimple Kumar, Specsavers Clinical Performance Consultant.
Louise Halvey chatted to customers about the charity that trains puppies to alert people who are deaf, to important daily and life-saving sounds that they might otherwise miss, such as a doorbell, alarm clock and even danger signals such as a fire alarm. The charity also helps deaf people to reconnect with life and leave loneliness behind, as life without sound can be very isolating.
To kick start the next 18 years and to officially re-launch the newly revamped store, the Mayor cut the Specsavers green ribbon after which he gave a short speech acknowledging the team’s commitment to its customers and the community, before cutting the birthday cake, along with Hiral and Alok. Customers visiting the store also joined in the festivities, receiving birthday offers and tasty treats.
Store partner, Hiral, ophthalmic director for the last seven years said: ‘We are delighted that the Mayor and Mayoress have been part of our celebrations. We are very proud of our team and the dedication of everyone to ensuring we deliver the very best clinical care and customer service to our loyal customers.’
Since opening its doors to the public in 2006, the team has provided sight tests for almost 22,000 customers and dispensed over 300,000 pairs of glasses. The audiology centre has been open for over 10 years and has tested over 6,000 patients during this time. So, there was lots to celebrate!
Specsavers South Harrow offers customers access to state-of-the-art pre-room testing diagnostic equipment, including a visual fields analyser and OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) examination. The OCT, which is hospital grade advanced diagnostic, eye-scanning equipment, helps detect serious eye conditions, including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, up to four years earlier than traditional methods, and is currently on offer at the reduced price of just £10.
The added benefit of the scan is that each customer’s OCT images can be stored, with any changes being observed over time – a real benefit to the monitoring of someone’s overall eye health.
There is also a dedicated audiology centre, which offers a soundproof booth for customers to have their hearing tested, coupled with the latest micro-suction equipment for wax removal.
In addition, there are three test rooms, dedicated diagnostic testing areas and specific contact lens stations offering enhanced facilities to customers. The store operates three sight clinics a week, with audiology clinics available on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. Opening times are Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 6.30pm, Saturday 9am – 6pm and on Sunday,10am – 5.30pm.
To book in for a sight or hearing test, you can contact Specsavers South Harrow on 020 8869 0301. Alternatively, you can book online https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/southharrow
