Leg warmers, punk wigs and double denim were just some of the looks sported by a team of opticians as they travelled back to the eighties to celebrate four decades since the practice opened its doors.
Morans Opticians in New Mills is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion, the team held a special 1980s-themed event and invited customers to join in with the fun.
The practice was transformed into a tribute to the era, with staff donning brightly-coloured clothing and dancing along to live renditions of some of the decade’s most iconic hits, thanks to visiting musician, Paul West who is married to optician Abi West.
Goodie bags were given to every customer who made a purchase, with 80s-style cocktails and nibbles also on offer. The party continued after hours, with the celebrations going on into the evening.
1984 was a year dominated by the miners’ strike, when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and a pint of milk was 20p and the average house price was £29,000.
It was also the year that Stella Moran started the opticians practice, across the road from its current location in Market Street, in a first-floor room. She was soon joined by her husband Lawrence and a receptionist.
Along with a major facelift, other changes the practice has undergone over the years includes the introduction of cutting-edge technology. This includes virtual reality headsets which measure peripheral vision and the use of OCT scans which scan the back of the eye and can detect other health conditions.
In more recent years, Morans has put more emphasis on styling, with a variety of different and unusual glasses frames on offer, many of which cannot be found on the high street.
Around 15 years ago, Hannah Coram, who is now joint partner of the practice along with Aled Brassington, joined the team as a receptionist before qualifying as a dispensing optician several years later.
Hannah, who is the longest-serving member of staff, said: “As the only opticians in a small, rural town, we know our customers really well. To me, it’s like a second home. Some of our customers have been coming here since the practice first opened its doors but we’ve seen lots of new faces in the last few years.
“It was great to offer our customers a fun-filled day to celebrate this special occasion, and we were delighted that Stella made an appearance too, as we look back on the last 40 years and what has been achieved.
“It was a really busy day with lots of people coming along just for the event and to see what was going on. It was lovely to see both new and familiar faces.”
For more details visit the Morans Opticians website.
