Double winners, secret singers and outstanding achievements all featured at the Optician Awards ceremony last week, where the brightest and best in the optical community were recognised and rewarded.
Celebrating the hardest on the night was Pearce & Blackmore Opticians, which secured two trophies. It scooped the Independent Practice of the Year Award sponsored by Hoya and the Sustainability Award. P&B fought off competition in two of the most fiercely contested categories, resulting in two of the iconic accolades winging their way back to Wales.
The Awards presentation started with the announcement of Professor Bernard Gilmartin as the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award sponsored by Topcon.
No shortlist was published for this accolade, which was judged by a specially selected panel of optical luminaries.
The Emeritus of Optometry at the University of Aston was selected from a list of around a dozen nominees brought together by the judging panel.
Unfortunately, Prof Gilmartin could not attend the event so the trophy was collected by Professor Shehzad Naroo.
A full list of the finalists and the winners can be seen below.
Around 500 guests thronged to the sell-out ceremony, which was held in the Ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane. The evening started with a drinks reception before guests went through to the lavishly-decorated Ballroom for dinner.
After the welcome by Optician editor-in-chief, Chris Bennett, the guests took part in a balloon burst competition sponsored by the recruiter Vivid Optical.
Managing director of Vivid, Luke Elias, joined Bennett on stage to oversee the mass-popping, which saw two tables win a magnum of champagne each. The lucky winners were Alex Grant of the Body Doctor and Natasha Bird of Contamac.
A glittering ceremony
The celebrity guest for the evening was TV and radio presenter and Countdown host Colin Murray. He spent dinner talking to the guests and getting to know the audience in readiness for his set and devising material for the night.
As dinner service drew to a close, the self-styled Secret Singers struck up. They first appeared to be waiters before breaking into Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.
The highlight of the singing was Optician’s associate publisher leading the room with a rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline. The final number, Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis had the whole audience on its feet.
Dinner over, Murray took to the stage, entertaining guests with a string of funny stories and his own take on the TV show Countdown, tailored for an optical audience and creating more prize winners along the way.
Murray then invited Bennett back onto stage for the presentation of 18 trophies, supported by the sponsors and VIP presenters, against the backdrop of a stunning AV show.
With the Awards presentation complete, guests were invited to network with colleagues, catch up with friends or dance the night away into the small hours.
Optician would like to thank everyone who entered the Optician Awards, offer its congratulations to the winners and sends commiserations to those unsuccessful. Better luck next year.
