Milestone for owner of Morpeth opticians

Kevin Gray took up the post of optometrist at R Green and Partners in May 1987, immediately after returning from honeymoon and about four years after graduating.

He became a partner after about five years and sole owner in 2012 when the practice, which was established in 1933, relocated to its current position on Bridge Street.

During his time in Morpeth, he has served on the Local Optical Committee twice, once as secretary, and sat as the optometric representative on the Northumberland and North Tyneside Diabetic Retinal Screening committee.

Kevin said: “Working in a rural market town was a pleasant change from my previous posts in city suburbs. Not only was the commute more fun but I found Morpethians really friendly, very diverse and generally very interesting.

“This is a long-established family business that has changed from ‘Green’ to ‘Gray’, and it was a proud moment when my daughter Sarah qualified as an optometrist in 2015 and joined the practice in 2018.

“We have a great support team who I think deliver excellent customer service, which is so important in this day and age.

“Some of the people I’ve looked after over the years have brought their children along and I have then looked after them as they grew up.”

Coun Bawn said: “It was lovely to help this well-established local business mark this significant anniversary.

“It is good to see the town’s independent businesses going from strength to strength.”