In good company

There are the ones you would expect: organisational ability and leadership experience, networking skills and a strong work ethic.

Then there are the more niche talents that might not be front-of-mind when considering the skillset needed to steer the world’s oldest optical society into the future. Pancake flipping, for example.

“I will definitely be practising,” optometrist and incoming master, Mike Harris, told OT.

In a race that has been held annually for the past two decades, Harris will step up to a starting line alongside butchers, bakers, fishmongers and clockmakers to race around a circuit while flipping a pancake.

There are 111 livery companies in London, ranging from the Weavers’ Company – established in 1130 – to the Worshipful Company of Nurses, which was granted livery status last year.

“Obviously, you can’t have 111 people tossing pancakes so there are elimination rounds beforehand,” Harris said.

The pancake race – which raises funds for charity – may seem quaint, but it is also an example of how tradition can serve to forge connections between a diverse range of vocations.

“You just do not know who you’re going to meet, and it’s those links that provide you with the opportunity to tell people about your profession and reinforce the importance of eye health for everyone,” Harris shared.

We welcome people from all professions and backgrounds who share our belief that nobody should be left behind because of poor sight

 

“It’s our chance to give them some key messages about eye health that we know they will take back into their own communities – things we all know, like the importance of children’s vision and the value of having regular eye examinations,” Harris explained.

Harris shared that he was “honoured and delighted” to be appointed master of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, which was first established in 1629.

“In a way, I will have a chance to make my own mark in history,” he said.

Harris retired earlier in the year after 42 years of running his optical practice in Coventry.

“I will have time to make sure I can give this role all the attention it deserves,” he shared.

For example, the phrase ‘at sixes and sevens’ has its roots in a longstanding disagreement between the Merchant Taylors and Skinners Company over the order in which the companies were established.

The Bakers’ Company would break the ovens of bakers who shortchanged customers – prompting bakers to add an extra loaf to each order, and creating the phrase ‘a baker’s dozen.’

Harris explained that when the WCSM was founded by Royal Charter in 1629, becoming part of the company meant that certain standards were applied to your work.

“Apprentices learned their trade on the job, working alongside an expert, a master craftsman, over a period of seven years,” Harris explained.

He added that being a freeman – the term was equally applied to successful male and female apprentices ­– was a mark of status.

“It showed that this was someone who was skilled in their work and could be trusted by the public,” Harris shared.

Like the Bakers’ Company, the WCSM took an uncompromising approach to quality control.

If the master or wardens found products that were not suitable for the public, they would destroy the defective spectacles on a historic block of limestone referenced by Shakespeare.

“If they didn’t approve of your work, they could smash the glasses that you’ve made on London Stone,” Harris shared. 

He observed that while the WCSM’s driving aim – to provide better eye care for all – has remained unchanged since its foundation, the tools available to optometrists have evolved beyond recognition.

“The only mechanism they had in 1629 to help make people see better was spectacles,” he said.

“Today, the range of vision aids, treatments and therapies is huge,” Harris added.

“I started learning my craft as a 19-year-old at Aston University. If you had told me that I would be able to see – or even take a picture – of all the layers of the retina beneath the surface, I wouldn't have believed it was possible,” he said.

The WCSM currently has a membership of more than 850 across 17 countries – including the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Harris emphasised that one of the key benefits of his involvement with WCSM has been meeting people in a range of different roles, from ophthalmologists and orthoptists to researchers and charity workers.

“It’s that multidisciplinary working that makes us strong optometrists, and that’s one of the attractions of the company. When we have our meetings or our lunches, the room is full of top talent,” he said.

While many of the traditions of the livery companies are specific to London – including an annual charity event where people herd sheep across a London bridge to retain their right to do so toll free – the WCSM has members in a diverse range of locations.

Harris lives near Leamington Spa while the WCSM upper warden – effectively his deputy ­– resides in Aberdeen.

Attendees to online membership committees connect from their dining room tables and home offices in Cardiff, Leicestershire, Wiltshire, Wales, South Carolina and Maine.

“Our committees are made up of volunteers and so we work around their schedules to plan our online meetings. Living 100 miles from London has not stopped me from being very active within the company,” he said.

During the pandemic, around 60 members convened via video call for the annual livery dinner – with food delivered to individual houses.

“In the background, you would hear the ping, ping, ping of the microwaves going off,” Harris said.

The demographics of people joining the WCSM have changed over time. Of the 52 new freemen who have joined since September 2023, 44% are women, 20% are under 40 and 22% identify as BAME.

Harris highlighted that the WCSM has “great potential” as a focal point for people from all optical professions and walks of life.

He added that the WCSM has been an open company since the mid 18^th century.

“You don’t have to be able to make spectacles to be a Spectacle Maker. You don’t have to be an optometrist,” he shared.

“We welcome people from all professions and backgrounds who share our belief that nobody should be left behind because of poor sight,” Harris said.

“We're pleased as a company to see the engagement of young people joining and hopefully progressing with the company,” Harris said.

“I’m very buoyant about the future. We have a thriving membership and we are in a good place to ensure that the company is still thriving in another 400 years,” he shared. 

Optometrist and Hakim Group professional advancement manager Erica Hopwood made her Freedom Declaration ­– becoming a WCSM Freeman – in July.

“It’s a really unique community. There are people who are part of the group from all walks of life,” she said.

As part of her day job, Hopwood promotes the opportunities available within optics to the next generation – and was motivated to join the WCSM because of the work the company does in this space.

“It’s a fantastic group to be part of because our passions are aligned. We want to make sure that optics is an option for everybody,” she said.

This is in contrast to Hopwood’s own experience at school – where optometry was not initially on her radar.

Hopwood studied psychology and sociology and spent time abroad in the academic breaks. It was an unfortunate skiing accident that saw her return home and discover optics.

Hopwood shared that after she landed a job as an optical assistant in an optometry practice, there was no turning back.

“I could really see myself building a career in optics. It’s a job that has really kept me on my toes because there is so much to learn and so many opportunities,” she said.

Hopwood trained as a dispensing optician at Anglia Ruskin University while continuing to work full time in practice. She then went on to complete her optometry degree through the University of Bradford.

Hopwood shared that her experience of observing other optometrists working in practice inspired her to undertake further training.

“When I was a dispensing optician, I remember thinking, ‘These people actually save sight and save lives’. How fantastic is that?” she said.

“I still haven’t finished learning now. I would like to do independent prescribing in the future,” Hopwood shared. 

When she speaks with students at career fairs, Hopwood emphasises the diversity of careers that optics can offer.

“There are so many different opportunities and career progression options out there that the world is their oyster,” she said.

Hopwood shared that although she was nervous about making her declaration for the WCSM, she found the group to be very friendly and welcoming.

“I was learning about the history of the company, and it is fascinating. I can’t believe they have been around for nearly 400 years, spreading the word of optics as a career and saving sight,” she said.

She shared that the ability to adapt has helped the WCSM to remain resilient.

“If you don’t change with the times, you are going to be left behind, because it is a fast, ever-changing world within optics,” she said.

“The WCSM knows where we are at and they know where we are going. Why shouldn’t it long continue?” Hopwood observed.

Main image: Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers master Mike Harris, centre, is pictured alongside wardens, David Baker and Fiona Anderson.