Peter Yeo Medal awarded to Kevin Thompson

Optometrist, practice owner and previous AOP chairman, Kevin Thompson was presented with the highest accolade awarded by Association of Optometrists (AOP) at an AOP Board and Council dinner in London on 2 June.

Mr Thompson, joined AOP Council in 2007 and was subsequently elected to board in 2009 before becoming chair from 2015 to 2017 and rejoined AOP Council in 2020. After 18 years, Mr Thompson is retiring from his current role as a Councillor representing directors of independent practices.

The accolade was presented by Emma Spofforth, describing his outstanding service to the profession, she said: “He leaves an amazing legacy to our profession and the AOP and to many of us who have tried to follow in his footsteps but with less success.”

On receiving the award Mr Thompson remarked: "Having spent 18 years serving the AOP, an organisation dedicated to supporting optometrists and dispensing opticians, helping to shape it’s direction has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life. I am incredibly proud to have played a part in strengthening such an important organisation. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see the legacy that I have helped develop with others, thrive in the future and I shall watch with interest.

“It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside the AOP’s Board, Council, staff and partners throughout the sector to drive positive change and deliver exceptional support for members. Receiving the Peter Yeo Medal is a tremendous honour and a fitting way to mark the close of this chapter. I am truly humbled by this recognition.

“None of this of course would be possible without my family. I would like to thank them for their enduring patience over the years spent at the AOP, which has seen my sons grow from tiny toddlers to three grown men that I am immensely proud of.”

During the almost two decades that Mr Thompson has been part of AOP Council, he has sat on a range of sub committees, including the professional services committee and the joint primary care committee, and was instrumental in supporting the development of the GOS Contracts toolkit, Quality in Optometry. He has also sat on the LOCSU board, and a range of General Optical Council and NHS committees.

During his career Mr Thompson has owned over 32 practices in north east England and Scotland.

Beyond optometry, Mr Thompson has been a sub-postmaster, entrepreneur, musician, community radio founder, school governor, listed-building renovator and Mayor of Alnwick.

Ends

Download images from the event from our Dropbox.

For more information, please contact Serena Box, Head of Media, PR and External Affairs, at the Association of Optometrists, [email protected] or telephone 0207 549 2040.

Notes to Editors

Association of Optometrists

The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is the voice of the optical profession, representing 80% of practising optometrists. The AOP elevates the work of its members, safeguards their interests, and champions eye health across the UK. For more information, visit www.aop.org.uk

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