Independents sign up for motivational event

Sight Care expects attendance at its 2010 conference, themed 'Above the parapet', to eclipse figures from any of its 10 previous annual events. The group reported that registrations for 2010 were already up 25 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Speakers at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham on March 1 will include former British Olympian Denise Lewis, motivational speaker Nigel Risner, customer care expert Paul Cooper and independent practitioners Ian Thompson, John Davidson, Anan Vyas, Keri Thomas, Gary Orriss and Sight Care chairman Richard Petrie.

'We are only too aware that 2010 could be a tough year for our sector,' said Sight Care's chief executive Paul Surridge.