GLASSES were raised by the team at Specsavers Teignmouth to celebrate the store’s 15th anniversary during a special week of events.

The store has occupied the same site for a decade and a half, providing eye and hearing services for thousands of people – and has helped to detect signs of serious conditions, which has even gone on to help save lives.

To mark the milestone, Specsavers Teignmouth decorated the store in balloons, held a raffle to help raise money for charity and cut a celebration cake.

Among those enjoying the fun filled events were Sam Roberts, who has been at the store since it opened, beginning her career as an optical assistant and working her way up to become the store’s retail director.

She said: ‘We’re really enjoyed the celebrations. We’ve seen many, many changes at the store in the past 15 years, including more test rooms and much more technology.

‘Having new technology over the years has also been incredibly helpful. Our OCT machine can help detect the early signs of multiple eye conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration before you have any symptoms.

‘Another change is the fact that we’re open seven days a week, so our customers can book an appointment whenever it suits them best.’

Specsavers Teignmouth employs 18 people, with many staff now following in Sam’s footsteps by advancing their own careers at the store.

Sam added: ‘We like to employ local people because we believe in investing in the local talent available, which then has a positive knock-on for the community.

‘We are really proud to offer a number of training programmes to staff, enabling them to improve their skills and talents.

‘In addition to our anniversary celebrations, we’re aiming to refit the store later this year to provide customers with the best possible experience and service.

‘We are proud to be at the heart of the Teignmouth community, and we want to be part of its bright future for years to come.’