William Wilkie, right, pictured with his children Sian and Willis. Picture: Colin Mearns By Kristy Dorsey He joined his father’s firm in West Dunbartonshire in 1976, right around the time when eyewear was beginning its transformation from the correction of a physical deficiency into a statement of style. Whereas William Wilkie’s dad kept seven or eight spectacle frames in a drawer and “more or less” told customers what they wanted, the wall displays at today’s Wilkie & Rider shops in Alexandria and Dumbarton present customers with hundreds of options. The evolution of opticians from “rather dowdy” storefronts into far more glossy venues also increased the appeal of the market, leading to the growth of major multiples such as Optical Express and Specsavers. Smaller businesses such as Wilkie & Rider that have fended off the encroachment of the national chains now face the added concerns of returning to “normal” trading once the pandemic subsides.
Children coping better with lockdown while parents struggle, study finds PARENTS across the city are finding the demands of home schooling while working from home harder during the second lockdown. Glasgow City Parents Group (GCPG) says it has received feedback that most children have shown better resilience this time, but it is the adults who have been struggling more. Leanne McGuire, chairperson of the GCPG, said: “Parents and carers are juggling much more this time round. “There’s a bigger expectation to continue to work, support children’s home learning and cope with the financial pressures, add on top of that the colder weather and the feeling of lockdown never ending. With this in mind, we wanted to provide parents with some mental health support.”