A Brecon woman with more than 14 years’ experience in optical care has been promoted to director at the town’s Specsavers store.

Rachel Stephens, 29, joins current joint owners Donna Like and Clare Corcoran to spearhead the town’s optical business.

Miss Stephens joined the business as a 16-year-old Saturday girl in 2009 before completing an optometry degree at Cardiff University. She then rejoined Specsavers in Brecon as a fully qualified optometrist.

Last year, Miss Stephens completed an Independent Prescribing course – meaning she can directly prescribe medication to customers, reducing the number of GP referrals and easing the pressure on the NHS.

Commenting on her appointment as store director, she said : “I’m thrilled to be working alongside Donna and Clare – two successful businesswomen who I’ve worked with and looked up to for much of my career.

“I think my journey is a great example of how supportive Specsavers is as an employer. There’s always room to grow, develop and challenge yourself – which is important in any career. The work ethos that existed for me when I was in a junior role still exists today – Specsavers wants the best for its customers, and for its staff too.”

Miss Stephens isn’t the only one to climb the career ladder as Erin Havard and Kimberley Lewis have recently taken on the role of supervisors and are undertaking management training.

Sam Jones is currently completing his degree in dispensing, while Leanne Rees has recently passed her audiology clinical support qualification, meaning she can assess people’s ears for wax and conduct thorough hearing screening appointments.

The High Street store – which currently employs 10 members of staff - also took on its first-ever retail apprentice earlier this year – Ellis Thorpe – who is a local 18-year-old who enrolled in the programme via an external qualification.

In addition, two new pre-registration optometrists are soon to join the Brecon team, with the current pre- reg, Charlotte Stroud, soon to take her final exams.

Donna Like, Specsavers Brecon director, added: “I’m really proud of the team for going the extra mile to provide our local customers with the best quality service.

“While we are constantly improving our service by investing in new tech, we don’t just want to offer a great service to the people of Brecon, we want to offer them great career opportunities too.”

To find out more information about Specsavers Brecon, request an appointment or browse the online store, visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/brecon.