UP CLOSE: Adrian Springett, practice director at Eyetech Opticians in Street

Street Nub News aims to be supportive to every element of the area's community from business and shops to people and charities, clubs and sports organisations.

We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called 'Up Close in Street'.

Eyetech are independent opticians that were founded in 1986, and they have a branch in Street High Street.

In a spare moment, we caught up with the Street practice director Adrian Springett to find out about running a High Street business during the Covid pandemic, and what he loves about living and working in the area.

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Have you always lived in the Street area and, if not, what were the key considerations about moving here?

I actually live in East Coker, just outside of Yeovil. I was born in Bristol and then lived in Birmingham, the North East and back to Aston as a student.

I returned to Somerset about 33 years ago. I'd had enough of living in a crowded city and was ready for a change in lifestyle.

I've grown to enjoy the scenery on fantastic walks across the South West and have walked every step of the South West Coastal footpath which starts at Minehead and finishes at Poole.

Tell us a bit about your personal business background Adrian and how you ended up running Eyetech in Street?

After graduating from Aston with an honours degree in Ophthalmic Optics BSc, I worked for Dollond and Aitchison which was the main corporate optical body at the time. I soon realised that I wanted more from a career in optics and joined Eyetech in 1989.

As I've got older, or should I say matured, my ideas about work-life balance have developed. I now run a practice how I believed it should be, free from interference of a head office.

I believe I have instilled my personal values into my work colleagues and our work processes. I hope that most people who visit us actually enjoy the experience.

What do you like about Street? How are you involved in the local community?

I like Street because the people appear genuinely friendly and are willing to help and support each other. I think Street is welcoming to people from other countries and helps them to integrate.

I try to support Strode Theatre and go to some of their performances and I have sponsored a bowls competition at Wyrral Park (albeit Glastonbury) for about 15 years.

I even entered this year and hopefully didn't disgrace myself. I'm always happy to support local charities or groups with prizes for their fundraising efforts.

The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on many businesses and organisations - what are your plans?

In a strange way the pandemic has had a positive way in how Eyetech is perhaps perceived and valued. People are slightly wary of being packed in and rushed so our typical customer focused relaxed approach is attractive.

Apart from having to wear PPE all day, we have only had to tweak a few things to the way we work. We just spend more time with the people we see and charge them accordingly for our expertise.

With the atmosphere being unhurried, people are more open to suggestions about their eye wear. They become aware of what fantastic, individual and interesting frames we stock.

I would hate to be in an environment where I was trying to chase turnover, even more so in the current climate.

In the future I plan to encourage many more people to opt for specific styling appointments so that they receive proper advice on their frame choice. We currently offer this service free.

What other businesses do you like and use in Street?

I like Puddy's for a Cornish pasty, Greggs for a convenient coffee and the Hare Inn Barber when I'm starting to look unkempt. Mundy's do lovely flowers for that special occasion.

I also like to get electrical goods from Living Homes because you get personal service, advice and know where to go should you have a problem.

The lockdown was very difficult for many people - how do you think that Street as a village coped?

I think that Street as a village has probably coped better than a lot of communities. Unfortunately there are bound to be people who have had a rough deal financially through no fault of their own and I do feel very sorry for them.

Anybody whose health has suffered or has lost a loved one, also has emotional issues to deal with.

Everyone should try to remember that some people may appear fine but may be suffering with mental health and anxiety issues. So with everyone, be kind and patient.

If there was one thing in the village you would change, what would it be?

I would like to see the precinct developed, perhaps a small supermarket encouraged back into the old Tesco building. A food outlet would bring people back into the High Street and this would then benefit all of the other shops.

If you had one message for local residents, what would it be?

I would remind people to support local independent businesses because they are the lifeblood of the local community. They make a town centre more diverse and interesting, and generate money which is returned to the locality.

If you could choose one famous person to play you in a movie about your life, who would it be and why?

I'm not sure if Eddie Howe (ex-AFC Bournemouth manager) would consider himself famous but I would choose him.

Why? Whenever he's interviewed after a football match he speaks sensibly and truthfully about the game and never blames the officials.

He accepts criticism and holds his hands up if he made an error of judgement. He just strikes me as being a decent bloke and I'd like to think I had the same values.