Denis Norden CBE presents Dolphin sponsored Macular Disease Society awards
Eye care professionals awarded for outstanding MD work
4th Oct, 2010
Denis Norden, CBE, TV veteran and patron of the Macular Disease Society, presented awards to eye care professionals and their teams at the charity's annual conference in London, 25 September, for their outstanding work to help those with macular disease (MD).
At the ceremony, which was sponsored by Dolphin Computer Access low vision software suppliers and Optima low vision specialists, the award winners - individuals or teams nominated by members of the public, patients and their peers - were presented with engraved plaques for their efforts to help improve the treatment, care and quality of life of those with the condition.
Speaking at the ceremony, Denis Norden CBE said:
"I find that this awards ceremony supersedes all those rather frivolous show business ones... Today, we are celebrating something much more important - real service to the community and representing something which absolutely changes the lives of those of us who find themselves habitually bending down to pick up a scrap of white paper, which turns out to be a patch of sunlight!"
The two award categories for professionals were Clinical Service of the Year, and
Support Service of the Year - and due to the high volume of nominations received, both categories had joint winners.
Helen Jackman, Chief Executive of the Macular Disease Society, said:
"All the nominees and winners are people with a commitment to excellence. We felt it was time they were recognised and thanked - and it is our great pleasure to tell them how grateful we are for the fantastic work they do."
Winners of the Clinical Service of the Year award were:
- Clare Bailey and the team at Bristol Eye Hospital's Ophthalmology Department.
- Mark Stoddart and the team at the Ophthalmology Department, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
Winners of the Support Service of the Year were:
- Laura Cromie and the team at South Eastern Trust, Northern Ireland, Sensory Support Services.
- Pardip Grewal and the team at the Eye Clinic, Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust - Pardip and the team received the most nominations of anyone in this year's awards.
Four additional awards - the Chairman's Awards - were also presented at the ceremony to recognise outstanding voluntary service to the Society and its members by individuals or groups.
The Awards were launched last year to recognise the wonderful, and often unsung, work being carried out all around the country for people with macular disease. Last year's awards were received with such success that they have now become a yearly event, as part of the Society's annual conference.
More than 450 people attended this year's annual conference, which also welcomed guest speakers on a whole host of issues affecting people living with macular disease, from news on eccentric viewing to nutritional information.
The 2011 Awards programme will launch in April 2011.
For more information about the Macular Disease Society, visit www.maculardisease.org.
For general support and practical advice about macular disease, call the Society's Helpline on 0845 241 2041 or email help@maculardisease.org
