Chris Bennett: The Optician Awards bring a sense of community

You can’t consciously construct a sense of community, it either grows or it doesn’t. Community is formed from an organic process based around shared experience and mutual understanding. When it emerges it is a powerful thing.

The pre-Easter weekender, featuring Optrafair London and the Optician Awards, was an opportunity to seek evidence for the existence of the optical community, and it could be found in spades. Optrafair proved to be a place for everything optics had to offer. From fashion and design, technology and education to contact lenses, commerce and charities. Anything and anyone in optics could be found in one place. The Optician Awards at the Hilton on the Saturday night (see pages 8-10) once again proved to be a celebration of excellence and an opportunity for the optical community to recognise those within its ranks. First timers at the Awards often comment on how powerfully the Awards show off the community spirit within optics. This year the event surprised us all.