Leightons Talking Points 90 Year Commemorative Edition (Spring 2018)

Spring 2018

Commemorative Edition

HA NDED DOW N TH ROUGH GENE RATION S

MAN U FACTUR E D W I T H CAR E

MAD E IN E NGL AN D

D E SIG NED W IT H LOVE AVAI LABLE I N SE L ECT ED L EIGH TON S STOR E S

W WW.WA LT E RA NDHE RBE RT.CO M @WalterAndHerbert

@WalterAndHerbert

@WalterHerbertUK

Welcome to the commemorative edition of Talking Points, bringing you all the news and insight from the Leightons Hearing and Optical teams. In this issue, you’ll find a look back through time at 90 years of Leightons as well as some of the newest technology, expert analysis and knowledge to help you look forward to Spring.

Find a wealth of local expertise

inside the new issue of

We hope you enjoy this edition, and we look forward to seeing you in store again soon.

a

message

Ryan

FROM

I

feel a great sense of pride reflecting on how our family business, with my father and grandfather before me, has evolved and adapted over the last nine decades. This special edition of Talking Points takes us back to 1928, retracing my grandfather’s footsteps as he started this incredible journey.

My grandfather, Henry Oscar Leighton, was a skilled Dispensing Optician and a visionary businessman.

He was also a craftsman, connected with a profession founded in science and built upon ethical standards.

His passion drove his purpose, to

carefully curated spectacles, contact

“only be content to provide the best

lenses and hearing aids from the

possible service”. This still defines our

world’s most advanced manufacturers,

DNA today, and is why we’re proud

our purpose of helping people to see,

to employ Dispensing Opticians in

to hear and to live is truly brought

every branch.

to life.

In this issue of Talking Points, “time”

Please join me in celebrating 90 years

is the halo, with the story of our

of Leightons, as we look forward to

first store and a snapshot of the

serving our communities as leaders in

transformation of hearing aids over 90

our industry for many years to come.

years. Yet it’s the quality time with our customers that we really value and is what sets us apart. Time allows our professionals to provide the ultimate in clinical care. When combined with

Ryan Leighton, CEO

LEIGHTONS |

talking points 3

LOOKING BACK:

How DID IT ALL

begin?

W

e've retraced our founder Oscar

Lessons learned

Leighton's steps as he opens the

Oscar's early training made a huge impression on him. Such

first branch of Leightons, and lays

care went into every step, with each frame and lens ruthlessly

the foundations of our 90 years of business.

checked and rejected if any errors were discovered. He began to appreciate the importance of precision and high quality, later stating that "a job was only right when it was perfect".

First steps In 1918, young Oscar took a position as a learner at Rayners Opticians and spent eighteen months grinding and edging lenses by hand and "nearly wearing the tops off my fingers", as he later recalled. For this painstakingly precise work he received the princely sum of seven shillings and sixpence per week.

4 LEIGHTONS | talking points

A man on a mission Still dreaming of having a business of his own, Oscar progressed from junior to manager. His work took him all over the country, from Hove to Liverpool, then Southport and finally to Eastbourne, where as manager of an opticians he began to understand the challenges of running a business.

Eventually, he felt ready to start out on his own.

Finding the first branch

Payment in gold

In February 1928 Oscar arrived in Southampton. He knew that

Oscar's first customer

in order to succeed as an optician he would need to build

paid for her

relationships with all the local surgeons, and rely on them

prescription with

recommending him to their patients. So he went door-to-door, informing the doctors of his intentions to open an independent opticians with what he called 'Wigmore Street service',

a gold sovereign, which were rarely seen at the time.

Oscar considered it a good omen, and kept it as a memento.

In fact, that first gold

in reference to

sovereign is still a treasured

what was at that

possession at our head office,

time London's

and has become the inspiration for our

renowned centre

new 90 years emblem.

for optometry.

With encouraging responses, he pressed ahead with his plans, and within three weeks was open for business.

An eye-catching experience

Growing the business With the Southampton store beginning to flourish, Oscar decided to open another branch. Within six months he had found the ideal location in Winchester, describing it as "a modest venture, consisting of a ground floor room tastefully furnished in a private house on Southgate Street". And the rest, as they say, is history...

Keen to create an upmarket impression with his store design, Oscar enlisted his wife's help. She was entirely responsible for the colour scheme and furnishings, which gained many compliments for their originality and style. "I had never before seen a shop carried out internally and externally in grey", he

Ninety years after Oscar Leighton first started out in

later recalled, "and with the introduction of fuchsia curtains

business, we still have branches in Southampton and

and large lemon lampshades, the effect was very pleasing".

Winchester, and they're now part of a network of 34

Waiting for customers

Leightons branches across the South of England.

Having an elegant store was no guarantee of business

Oscar established strong foundations for today's

success. Despite his anticipation and enthusiasm, Oscar

success. From the start, he was passionate about

received no prescriptions at all during his first four days

delivering exceptional care, stating, “we can only

of trading. Finally, at 11am on the Friday, the very first

be content to give the best service possible”. This

Leightons customer arrived with her prescription. The

commitment still defines everyone’s experience of

business was now up and running.

First signs of success Oscar was delighted to have his first customer, and in the afternoon of that same day another customer brought a prescription, and another the following morning. And while the Southampton branch wasn't ideally located for passing trade, Oscar was beginning to understand that the goodwill of satisfied customers and the recommendations

Leightons today and is the cornerstone of our DNA: to Listen, Empathise, Educate and Delight.

The dedication to a family-run business endures.

Leightons has always been independent, with the traditions and legacy being carried through the generations from Oscar to his son Richard, and now to his grandson Ryan, the current CEO. We know Oscar would be proud to see how far we’ve come!

of surgeons would provide a solid foundation for success.

LEIGHTONS |

talking points 5

THE

changing

Technology

FACE OF

Hearing technology has been totally transformed in the nine decades since Leightons began. Here's how...

1920s Moving on from the hearing horn.

Hearing aids featured vacuum tubes which could increase sound levels by as much as 70 dB. 1924 saw size reductions enabling all the components to fit into a small wooden box, alongside a receiver that the user would hold up to their ear.

Despite these improvements they were still heavy, bulky and highly conspicuous, amplifying every sound rather than just the sounds the user wanted to hear.

1950s The introduction of analogue body-worn hearing aids.

Devices were pocket-sized and convenient, yet the simple amplification process still made every sound louder. This led to a confusing and frustrating experience for the wearer.

1928

1940s World War II saw a period of swift technological development.

Towards the end of the decade, buttonsized batteries and circuit boards were introduced, enabling the batteries, amplifier and microphone to be combined into a more portable unit.

1960s A HUGE BREAKTHROUGH. Analogue ear-worn hearing aids, first produced by Zenith Radio, included an in-ear microphone, connected to an amplifier and battery unit that clipped unobtrusively behind the ear.

This technology would remain largely unchanged until the 1980s, when signal processing chips were introduced to hearing aids.

6 LEIGHTONS | talking points

The development of hearing aids has been a long and fascinating technological journey.

At Leightons we're excited by what the future holds, and dedicated to bringing you the very latest cutting-edge hearing care solutions from the world's leading brands.

1996

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Digital technology - a major change in hearing aid design.

If you would like to book your FREE hearing assessment and find out more about the technological hearing solutions we offer, please call us, go online or ask in store.

The first fully digital hearing aids offered advanced sound amplification, and could be programmed to fit the individual user's specific hearing loss.

2016 Multiple speaker access technology.

This not only enables access to multiple speakers in all directions, but also allows users to connect their devices to the internet.

2007

2017

The spread of innovative wireless technology.

Invisible Hearing Aids.

This enabled two hearing aids to communicate and interact with each other, providing the user with a much richer and clearer listening experience.

These small hearing aids are packed with incredible technology that fits into a tiny shell. They can either go in the ear or in the canal, meaning wearers and those around them don't even know they're there.

2018 TODAY Rechargeable technology – no need to replace batteries with convenient charging options.

2014 Oticon - BrainHearing™ technology.

This pioneering brand's new devices were able to understand and support the way the brain works and makes sense of sound.

The very latest developments in hearing aid technology sees the Oticon Opn™ and other leading hearing aids offering a rechargeable option.

Rechargeable aids remove the worry of replacing fiddly disposable batteries, leaving you free to carry on with the activities you love.

LEIGHTONS |

talking points 7

DON'T JUST

our word take

FOR IT

immensely black eyes. My vision deteriorated and I went to get them checked. My optician referred me to hospital and I was seen incredibly quickly. Within a week, I was diagnosed with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) in my left eye and had my first treatment, an injection of a drug called Eylea, into my eye. I’d have lost my central vision and would not have been able to carry on driving, or perhaps even lost the ability to see in detail, read or watch television. I had monthly injections to start with, and now I’m told my vision has gotten better – I can read more lines on the chart. I can still do everything I did before, though I don’t drive in the dark anymore.

NHS AMD treatment within a week is incredibly fast, why do you think you were seen so quickly?

L

esley Wood had her first eye examination at Leightons at the age of one and, an incredible 85 years later, she's still a loyal customer.

We helped to save the sight in one eye and now look after three generations of her family.

The tests performed at Leightons included a 3D scan of my eye known as an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), this was sent directly to the hospital so I didn’t need to be rescanned when I arrived. The Consultant Opthalmologist looked at the scan and knew it was an emergency and I needed the injections quickly or my sight would

What are your first memories of Leightons?

deteriorate. I think its marvellous that the NHS is working with private providers, it makes life so much easier for patients and it's much more efficient.

I remember I was very young and it was a very modern shop, very light and bright. Everyone was very kind to me and I was never scared. My mother took me in because I had a squint in my left eye. At the time we lived in Farnham and my father worked opposite the Leightons on South Street.

I believe Mr H. O. Leighton, who founded the company, was a family friend. I wore glasses and an eye patch over my ‘good’ right eye and did exercises involving moving my finger from side to side, following it with my ‘bad’ eye to strengthen it.

Did the treatment work?

Yes! In those days, there was no NHS but my mother was determined to sort it out. The squint isn’t noticeable now but my optician at Leightons tells me he can see it and my left eye has to work harder to stay in alignment. When my

What do you love about Leightons?

granddaughter Kaitlyn was very young, we thought she

I like the way everybody in the

had a squint. Now living in Cobham, we took her to the

Cobham branch, especially Sally the manager, and Juliet

local branch and they were marvellous with her.

on reception, are so chatty and friendly. I have had the

What is your most recent involvement with Leightons?

I had a fall a couple of years ago and had the most 8 LEIGHTONS | talking points

same optician, Mahiar, for 35 years, we’re on first name terms. My daughter, my granddaughter and my husband are customers now; we’re all great believers in preventative medicine and in looking after your eyes the best you can.

S

haring a big birthday with Leightons, 90-yearold Betty O’Shea is a new customer, but over the past few months, she has come to rely on the caring professionals in her local branch who have – quite literally – gone the extra mile to look after her hearing and eye health.

left no stone unturned to find the right hearing aids for me. I tried a few different ones and in the end, I did find the right hearing aids and I did have a lovely time. Charlotte

You got to know Leightons because you were looking for new options to improve your hearing.

How did it come about?

I had NHS hearing aids from Epsom Hospital that fitted behind the ear but I found them fiddly. I was thinking of changing the hearing aids so I had a hearing test elsewhere but it wasn’t for me. A friend told me about Leightons offering an at-home hearing service and suggested I have a test with them. I find it hard to get into town now, I don’t drive and I live on my own, so having an at-home service is very important to me.

really helped me to enjoy all of the wedding celebrations.

I am now using ‘in the ear’ hearing aids from Phonak, called Virto B90. They’re not too small so I can handle them; they’re so much easier to use and I can hear well in most situations.

Charlotte comes to see me at home and to adjust my hearing aids if necessary. Nothing is too much trouble and I enjoy having her here.

Your 90th birthday was on 1st January 2018.

How did you celebrate?

My son Philip and daughter-in-law Julie and their four

I phoned up Leightons and Charlotte, the audiologist, came

children: Olivia, Amelia, Aidan and Rory, took me away

to see me. She is absolutely lovely and I had total faith in

to the Dominican Republic on holiday for 10 days. What a

her from the outset. Last year, my granddaughter was getting

wonderful birthday present – it was fantastic! It’s great to be

married and invited me to her Hen Party. At the time I was

able to hear properly and to take part in everything as I

worried about not hearing what was going on, but Charlotte

used to.

prodesigndenmark.com

174x128,5_PRO_Leightons.indd 1

LEIGHTONS |

talking points 9 04/01/2018 09.01

LET'S TALK

about

S

ugar seems to be the buzzword that has gripped the nation over the past couple of years, and how we all should be drastically curbing our sugar habit for the sake of our health. While it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the latest ‘sugar free’ diet, as a dietitian, it worries me that most people are still very confused about sugar: what is sugar? How much sugar is too much?

Are there ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sugars? Does sugar make you overweight or cause diabetes? I am on hand to help demystify sugar, as well as help you make healthier choices without having to cut out all of the sweet stuff.

With State Registered Dietitian Helen Bond

Is sugar public enemy number one?

Sugar is still top of the health agenda for 2018, and with good reason. As a nation, we are all eating and drinking too much of it! The average British adult is getting through around 60g of added sugar a day - the equivalent of around 15 teaspoons.

Teenagers are consuming even more than the older generation, 80g or 20 teaspoons for boys and 65g or 16 teaspoons for girls. A spoonful of sugar here and there may seem harmless, but it soon adds up and can boost your daily calorie intake – which if not used up in your day-to-day life will expand your waistline and cause dental disease.

Does sugar cause diabetes?

What is sugar?

Most of us think of it as simply the white sugar found in the sugar bowl (sucrose), but it comes in many guises. Despite the ballyhoo that surrounds ‘sugar free’ diets, it’s impossible to be completely ‘sugar free’ because sugars are in healthy foods too – yes that’s right! There’s lactose (found in dairy products), glucose and fructose (found in fruits, vegetables and honey) and maltose (found in malted drinks).

If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, you need to monitor your sugar and carbohydrate intake to manage your blood sugar levels. Over time, uncontrolled diabetes and persistently high blood sugar levels can damage the network of tiny blood vessels in the eyes and the inner ears, leading to vision and hearing loss. If you don’t have diabetes, sugar intake alone won’t cause you to develop Type 2 diabetes, but too much could lead to you being overweight – one of the main risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. There is also some research that suggests that having too much sugar in the form of sugarsweetened drinks increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

10 LEIGHTONS | talking points

How much sugar should we have in our diets?

Added sugar, or newly-termed 'free sugars', is sugar that's been added to food by you or a manufacturer, including natural sugars you get in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juice. For the sake of our waistlines and overall health, Public Health England (PHE) recommends we should be

TEN

easy ways to cut down on sugar

Tip 1

Use sugar wisely. Try not to rely on it and use it cleverly, like making nutritional foods more palatable.

Tip 2

Swap the sugar you add to your tea for a low or zero-calorie sweetener.

Tip 3

Make water or low fat milk your drinks of choice.

Tip 4

Swap sugary desserts for fruit with low fat Greek or Natural yoghurt.

Tip 5

Get baking! Make a few simple changes to your ingredients by substituting fruit purees for some of the sugar.

Tip 6

Watch the alcoholic drinks. Enjoy alcohol free days mid-week, alternating your drinks with water and diet soft drinks, and downsizing your wine glass.

Tip 7

Read labels and wise up on ingredients. When shopping switch to an item that is marked lower in sugar.

Tip 8

Keep fruit juice to one small glass a day. 100% pure fruit juice contains naturally occurring sugars so stick to a small (150ml) glass a day.

Tip 9

Snack on a handful of sweet almonds or walnuts.

Tip10

Recondition your taste buds. Go for foods with naturally sweet flavours – bananas, berries and other fruits are very healthy choices.

halving the amount we're consuming to no more than 5% of our daily calories – that’s around 30g of sugar (or about 7 teaspoons) a day for adults, and less for children, depending on their age.

Naturally occurring sugars, found in whole fruit, vegetables and dairy products, come hand in hand with lots of other useful nutrients, so there’s no need to restrict them in your diet. After all, many of us still fail to reach the recommended 5-A-Day!

Are there ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sugars?

Many articles, celebrities, health bloggers, food manufactures and diet ‘experts’ will have you hoodwinked that the best way forward when it comes to cutting down or making products healthier is to switch to ‘natural sugars’ such as honey, coconut sugar and agave nectar. Not so! These ‘natural’ sugars may have a more wholesome image to traditional sugar but no matter what they’re called, any sugar found in a syrup or extract counts as a ‘free sugar’, so you still need to watch your intake to avoid the health pitfalls highlighted above.

‘Sugar is sugar whether it’s granulated, syrup, honey or treacle — a teaspoon of any of them contains the same calories and your body processes it in the same way’ How to cut down on sugar?

Lifelong healthy eating and living is about taking little decisions along the way that balance pleasure and moderation. Most of us want to enjoy a little sweetness in our lives, so, if you have a sweet tooth but are looking to take steps towards cutting your ‘free sugar’ intake - without compromising on taste - check out my easy hints and tips:

Helen Bond is a freelance State Registered Dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. She has 20 years' experience working in the NHS, in PR, within the media and across the food and pharmaceutical industries.

LEIGHTONS |

talking points 11

SERVICE

with

style All about dispensing opticians

I

n the early years of eye care, you received a prescription from the doctor and were then required to take this to your recommended local opticians, who would then dispense your glasses. Henry Oscar Leighton stressed the crucial responsibility of a dispensing optician’s job within his very first internal news magazine, “Whilst being craftsmen, we are closely connected with a profession, which shows us how to pursue our vocation upon ethical standards. Science has given the world mechanical aids to vision, and we, as Dispensing Opticians, are entrusted with the task of making and fitting these appliances”.

examination, if your prescription has changed, or even if you’d just like to try something different, you will then be passed into the care of one of our fully-qualified dispensing opticians (or DO).

Priya Burgul, qualified dispensing optician and Branch Manager at Leightons Camberley, offers some insight into a dispensing optician's crucial role in a Leightons branch.

Who is a dispensing optician and what do they do?

You'll find the DO at the front of the store, surrounded by shelves of beautiful products from a wide range of brands.

They use their vast knowledge and experience of spectacle frames to help you find the style, shape and colour that perfectly suits you. On an even more technical level, they

Each pair of glasses would have had the lenses glazed completely by hand to fit perfectly before being dispensed.

This painstaking task was Henry Oscar Leighton's

will take the result of an eye examination and, using their extensive knowledge of lenses, find the best solutions for not only your eyesight and prescription, but your lifestyle as well.

introduction to the world of optics, and taught him the absolute importance of precision and quality. This was hard work, but paid off with a customer’s delight at their new spectacles. The intricacies of glazing frames are still present to this day, with far more choice of brands, styles and coloured frames available.

One of the most exciting (and occasionally the most daunting!) parts of a visit to the optician is choosing new glasses. Once the optometrist has completed your eye 12 LEIGHTONS | talking points

How is a dispensing optician different to an optometrist?

An optometrist carries out the eye examination and provides a prescription. They will also fit contact lenses, advise on visual problems and diagnose any ocular conditions. I like to think that whilst the optometrist looks after the health of the eye, the dispensing optician uses their skills to convert the prescription into the best solution for the customer.

Are Leightons’ dispensing opticians qualified?

Yes! You have to go through a study path to gain your

• Arrange and maintain the branch, its merchandise and look after my team.

qualification and also be registered under the General Optical Council to practice. I did a three year degree at Anglia Ruskin University, then underwent a one year pre-registration period working in a practice before earning my full qualification (FBDO – Fellow of British Dispensing Opticians). However, although all Leightons DOs are fully qualified, this is not the case in every high street optician.

What happens in your normal working day?

I love working for Leightons because they give us the freedom to use our knowledge to

And the best part of your day?

For me, the most important people in the store are our customers, so I always want to ensure we’ve delivered the best solution for them, whether it’s spectacles, sunglasses or contact lenses. The best part of my day is when a customer collects their new glasses and they’re delighted with the result. I love not only fulfilling but exceeding expectations on their newfound quality of vision – it’s a wonderful feeling!

Part of the Leightons difference is our partnership with like-minded, find the best solutions for each customer’s individual needs.

innovative lens manufacturers. It is

As a manager, I also need to lead the practice, support my

vital that our dispensing opticians

colleagues and help raise awareness of eye health. In a

have access to best-in-market lens

typical day, I will usually:

technology to enable them to provide

• Evaluate prescriptions, recommending specific lenses and

the best possible solution for an

lens coatings

individual’s visual and lifestyle needs.

• Help a customer pick out their perfect frames or sunglasses,

We are proud to work with lens

that suit not only their face shape but their personal style

specialists such as Hoya, ZEISS,

• Take down a customer’s eye size, pupillary distance

Essilor and Rodenstock to provide

(the distance between your pupils) and all the other

precision, quality and care, helping

measurements needed to ensure the lenses are made with

our customers to live their lives to

pinpoint accuracy

the full.

JOIN MYLEIGHTONS TODAY FOR UP TO 20% OFF GLASSES www.leightons.co.uk/myleightons

YOUR HEARING

Health

Check A guide to our full hearing assessment

A

t Leightons, you can spend up to 90 minutes in our FREE full hearing assessment. This might seem like a long time, but we pride ourselves on ensuring that you receive the very best expert care and will never rush you out of the door. During the assessment, you will get to know your audiologist. They will teach you about hearing loss, check the health of your ears and assess your hearing and ability to process speech sounds.Your results will be explained to you in detail, and we will then discuss any appropriate solutions based on the results.

Checking Your Ear Health The first thing your audiologist will do is check the health of your ears. This includes identifying wax, ear infections or any possible blockages, as well as tympanometry, which checks the movement and health of your ear drums. Blockages or infections can be easily treated if identified early, but can cause problems if left untreated. If you ever experience pain or discomfort it could be related to the function of your middle ear. Your hearing professional can test this and offer advice to keep things more comfortable in future.

Pure Tone Hearing Test

Speech Testing For most of us, speech is the most important thing to hear as it allows us to engage socially. As we get older, our brains can also become slower to process information, especially when it is having to fill in gaps where we’re not hearing speech clearly. This can make it harder to keep up with conversation.

Speech testing allows us to assess your ability to hear and process speech sounds in quiet and noisy conditions. If there are areas you miss, we can discuss the effect this might be having on your ability to understand speech.

Your audiologist will be able to recommend tips and solutions to help make sure you don’t miss any of the conversation that’s most important to you.

Hearing Aid Demonstration We understand that the idea of having a hearing aid can be daunting. However, most people are surprised by how discreet, light and comfortable hearing aids now are – you can easily wear hearing aids without anybody noticing! The quality of sound has also improved so significantly over the years, you’ll be amazed at how clearly you can hear… even in busy places. If we identify a hearing loss during an assessment, you’ll be able to try some hearing aids at no cost, set up exactly for you, to get an idea of how they sound, feel and look.

A pure tone test checks your hearing across a range of frequencies. It produces a graph that we store in your record so that any changes in your hearing can be tracked. It allows us to identify very subtle changes in your hearing which often go unrecognised in day-to-day life. These changes commonly affect the clarity of the message being sent to your brain, meaning it must work harder to interpret it. You may not notice your hearing changing, but it can lead to fatigue, frustration and increased listening effort. Pure tone hearing tests can also identify early signs of more serious conditions.

14 LEIGHTONS | talking points

WE ARE HERE TO HELP If you think that you or a loved one may benefit from a FREE full hearing assessment with one of our expert audiologists, simply call us on 0800 40 20 20 or request an appointment online.

TO P

TE CH Tiny, innovative aids making a big difference to hearing technology.

Small but powerful – Phonak Virto B-Titanium™ It's amazing how hearing aid technology has advanced in recent years, aids are smaller and more discreet without compromising on your hearing experience. Phonak Virto B-Titanium is one of the smallest in-ear aids yet. With its revolutionary titanium shell, it is amazingly strong, light and durable. What’s more, as titanium allows the shell to be 50% thinner than previous Phonak aids, the Virto B packs more power without an increase in size. As a result, more people than ever before can now enjoy the freedom of virtually invisible in-the-ear hearing aids, even those with more severe levels of hearing loss.

Perfectly formed – Unitron Moxi Now™ The smallest of the design-focused Moxi family of aids, Unitron Moxi Now is a cutting-edge hearing solution. It is the smallest receiver-incanal hearing aid of its class in the world, combining great aesthetics with comfort and clever, user-friendly technology. Despite its small size, Moxi Now uses highly innovative technology to provide the most natural possible listening experience and enable you to focus on listening to what’s most important to you.

Compact and discreet – Oticon Opn™ Oticon Opn is a receiver-in-canal aid packed full of advanced technology, despite its small size. Opn hearing aids are focused on the fact that we hear with our brains, not with our ears. If your brain struggles to interpret sound, it uses a great deal of effort. Therefore, good hearing is not just about making sounds louder, it’s about helping your brain to make sense of the sounds around you. That’s why the Oticon Opn uses BrainHearing™ technology, giving a 20% reduction in listening effort. With smartphone and internet connectivity and a rechargeable version also available, the Oticon Opn is a small aid that can make a huge difference to your life.

LEIGHTONS |

talking points 15

Katy Waterman BSc RHAD Audiologist Katy graduated from University of Southampton with an Audiology BSc degree, and has been helping those with

Meet the newest recruits to our team.

hearing impairment and their families since. Having divided her time between working with the NHS and private clinics, Katy enjoys the personal approach to hearing care that Leightons can offer. Experiencing hearing loss herself, with a variety of different treatments, inspired her commitment to excellent customer care.

“I enjoyed working within the NHS and gained valuable clinical experience in adult rehabilitation, vestibular assessment, paediatrics and ENT. Since 2014 I have been working privately which is much more rewarding because I am able to dedicate more time to each patient, tailor their hearing healthcare more precisely, offer a wider range of technology and provide continued aftercare support.

Outside of work, my time is spent with my husband and children. I also have a passion for yoga and practice daily.”

Nicholas Rose RHAD MSHAA Hearing Aid Audiologist With over 15 years of experience as an audiologist, Nick Rose is passionate about keeping up-to-date with all new advances in hearing technology. Nick specialises in difficult hearing losses, particularly involving background noise, and enjoys seeing the differences that ever-improving technology can now make.

“Every customer we see is different and comes to us with very different needs, depending on both their hearing loss and lifestyle. Leightons not only gives me complete independence in terms of finding the right hearing solution, but also gives me as much time as I need to spend with each customer to make their hearing solution a success.”

When not working, Nick’s hobbies are music production and comedy writing – though he is the first to admit he should not give up his day job! Most of his time is spent on seafront walks with his wife Angela, and two young sons Matthew and Oliver.

16 LEIGHTONS | talking points

GET IN TOUCH To book a FREE hearing assessment with your local expert, call us on 0800 40 20 20 or request at leightons.co.uk.

long-standing MEET A

team member

Dr Gemma Gray BSc MSc HAD CS Clinical Scientist (Audiology) and Professional Services Manager “Leightons is 90 years old! I am truly honoured to work for this family-run company who shares my ethos of patient-focused care. Our patients are at the heart of all of our decisions and I love that everything we do is about helping them to live their lives to the fullest.

I started here at Leightons after completing my masters and doctorate in Hearing Care. I am absolutely spoilt with time and technology. Having as much time as needed with patients enables me to complete a much more thorough assessment. I have the tools to test much more than the standard pure tone audiometry that’s completed in the NHS (and by most other private hearing aid providers).

Personally, I am fortunate to be able to make more of a difference to all patients across Leightons as I now manage our team of audiologists and provide support throughout the Leightons branches. Leightons have been very supportive in developing my role as Professional Services Manager for Hearing Care. In this role I provide training and clinical support to my expanding team as well as teaching at some of our Academy workshops, supervising trainees and helping to raise money for vision and hearing loss charities with the Leightons Foundation.

Well, enough about me, I am just very happy to be able to work with such a patient-focused company like Leightons and that myself and my team are given the opportunity to provide truly personalised, long-term solutions for each and every one of our patients so they can live their lives to the fullest.�

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LEIGHTONS |

talking points 17 21/12/2017 14.32

Regeneration Game THE

M

aking a success of a family business like Leightons comes with its own unique challenges and rewards. We asked our Chairman Richard and his son Ryan, CEO, about some of the things they've learned from a lifetime of working for the family firm.

Q: What is it like working so closely together?

Richard: “I joined the family business in 1964 and found working with my father Oscar challenging at first, as he was fastidious about cost control. It was often a struggle to get

To support my transition to CEO, we put a solid structure in place with an experienced external business advisor. As a result, the transition was really successful.”

his approval on new investments, but he began to realise the long-term benefits for the business. My father also showed me how important it was to appreciate the people that work for you. When I began working with my son Ryan, I made a conscious effort to step back and give him independence and a sense of responsibility within the company. The key is having the right structure in place and developing trust between you as father and son.”

Ryan: “Working with my father has been great, and he's always been incredibly supportive. Crucially he gave me space to grow within the business, as well as the freedom to try new things and innovate in ways that have helped Leightons to adapt and grow.”

Q: How did you know it was time for a change in leadership?

Richard: “Having worked from the pre-computer era into computerisation and then into the digital age, I began to realise that my ideas perhaps weren’t as visionary or hard

Q: What have been your best decisions at Leightons?

Richard: “In 1985 I took the big decision to close down our optical manufacturing facility. I recognised that we were opticians, and that our strength was in delivering a personalised and professional customer experience – not in making frames and lenses. By shutting our factory we focused more on what we were best at. It proved to be a good one for the business."

Ryan: “When I took over from my father in January 2011, it was time to evolve and innovate. Since then we've made significant progress in many areas, transforming practices and improving technology, products and testing facilities.

We’ve also rebranded the business, tapping into our visual heritage and bringing our values to life. We've reenergised our company culture with a new shared vision and purpose, which I believe is essential to ensuring that we work together as one team.

working as they once were. By then, Ryan had already set up and operated our hearing care business, developing the entire

But what I feel most proud of is the training and development

service from just an idea and delivering it into Leightons

structure we’ve put in place; Leightons Academy received

practices. I realised that the time was right to hand over

three rounds of government funding and we now have

the reins."

16 training modules to help our people to learn, develop

Ryan: “I felt confident about what I’d achieved with our hearing business. Being given the autonomy to start and

and progress in their careers. At Leightons we're a people business. So whatever else we're investing in, people always come first – and that's something that will never change."

run 'my own business' within Leightons was the perfect preparation for a higher-level leadership role. The time was right for both of us, and the trust and respect was there.

18 LEIGHTONS | talking points

To find out more about the Leightons Difference, please visit www.leightons.co.uk/the-leightons-difference/

A 3rd generation family-run business with an inherent passion for eyewear. Expect to find bold colours and a collection of outstanding quality.

Innovators, with an architectural approach to eyewear design, challenging the limits of form and function to create frames that not only look great, but fit perfectly.

A collection without limitation; discover a product that never fails to excite. The utilisation of a unique metal alloy produces the ultimate exible frame.

WHY WE LOVE‌ Paying homage to company founders Walter Conway and Herbert Thorn, this 3rd generation company creates a versatile, original range of styles that are designed and crafted in England.

Contemporary interpretation of classic shapes, all with the unmistakable yet subtle mark of the Tom Ford brand.

Timeless design that meets the spirit of the age; a family business creating eyewear that will delight and surprise with its innovation and style.

TO SEE. TO HEAR. TO LIVE…

B RA N C H E S

Peace of mind included At Leightons, our care doesn’t stop the minute you walk out the door. We’re here 6 days a week, 52 weeks of the year, so if you need some advice, or you want to talk something over, we’re always here to listen.

For total peace of mind, we provide a 60 day 100% money back guarantee. All our next generation digital hearing aids come with a 3-5 year warranty and 3-5 years of free batteries.

We understand that hearing aids can be a big investment. To help you spread the cost, ask about our Hear Now, Pay Later plan. Simply pay a 30% deposit and spread the rest into easy-to-pay instalments, interest free.

FREEPHONE 0800 40 20 20

ADDLESTONE

LEWES (Spectrum Eyecare)

ALTON

MARLOW (Leightons Insight)

ANDOVER

POOLE (Leightons & Tempany)

BASINGSTOKE

PUTNEY

CAMBERLEY

READING

CHANDLERS FORD

SOUTHAMPTON

CIRENCESTER

ST. ALBANS

COBHAM

SUTTON

EGHAM

SWINDON

EPSOM

TADLEY

FAREHAM

THATCHAM

FARNHAM

TOTTON

FLEET

TUNBRIDGE WELLS

HASLEMERE

WINCHESTER

HAYWARDS HEATH

WINDSOR (Leightons Eye Windsor)

HEMPSTEAD VALLEY

WOKINGHAM

HOVE (The Eyecare Centre)

WOODLEY

FREE HEARING ASSESSMENT Good hearing starts with regular hearing health checks

www.leightons.co.uk