Ernest Opticians, based at the Oldway Centre, Monmouth, is under new ownership after a £110,000 investment supported by Barclays.

A qualified optician from Cardiff University, Lydia Smith has worked for a number of years in the industry but always had the intention of owning her own practice.

Ernest Opticians currently employs three staff and forecasts turnover to exceed £200,000 next year under the new management team.

Lydia Smith, aged 31, said: “I never thought I would get the financial backing to acquire my own practice, so when I heard a former colleague Paul Ernest was selling up, I decided to make a few phones calls to a number of banks to sound out the possibility of acquiring the business.

"Emma from Barclays got back in touch really quickly and explained that she used the opticians and would be happy to meet up. That started the ball rolling and I’m pleased to say that I am now the proud owner of Ernest Opticians. The transfer of ownership was very amicable as the existing owner wanted to step down and I was looking for the right opportunity. Former owner Paul is even still working for us one day a week.”

Emma King, Barclays Business manager, said: “As champions of local business, it is essential that we support local businesses such as Ernest Opticians. By really understanding the business and issues they have faced, Barclays has been able to support Lydia throughout the transfer of ownership. The investment has retained the existing workforce and retained a valuable independent retailer on Monmouth’s high street.”

Lydia Smith said: “Running a business is tough with no rest bite and being tied to the business 24 hours a day but the rewards far outweigh the downsides even after working long hours. The joy of seeing my efforts or simply a big smile from one of our customers makes it all worthwhile. I’m passionate about eye care and eye welfare for everyone and just can’t wait to come to work every morning.

"I want to take the best elements from the previous business and add my own ideas and plans to ensure we deliver the best quality of care and service for our customers.

"We are already promoting UK based designers in our attempt to support British business and have launched our own Facebook and twitter feeds to explore the benefits of social media for our business. The optician element is pretty straight forward but running a business is a whole new skillset.”