Association of Optometrists welcomes Honorary Associates
Our new parliamentary advocates, representing member interests and raising the profile of optometry
The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is pleased to announce the following parliamentarians as new Honorary Associates; Sir Kevin Barron MP, Rt Hon. Alistair Burt MP, Sir Roger Gale MP, Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE, Earl Howe, Lord Low of Dalston CBE and Jim Shannon MP.
The Honorary Associates have been formally invited to support the work of the AOP and represent our interests in Parliament. All the Honorary Associates are already active campaigners for the eye health and sight loss sectors – with a proven track record in these areas.
Commenting on his appointment, Lord Holmes of Richmond said: “I was delighted to become an Honorary Associate of the AOP. As the leading representative membership organisation for optometrists in the UK the AOP provides crucial support in an incredibly important sector.
“The importance of sight tests for the early detection of potentially sight threatening eye diseases, as well as the issue of eye health more broadly, must be placed firmly on the health agenda. It is an honour to support the AOP’s work in doing this.”
Former Health Minister and current Defence Minister, Earl Howe said: “My five years as a health minister taught me that good eye-health is one of the most critical ingredients for the health and wellbeing of the general population.
“The importance of optometrists and the high professional standards that they maintain cannot therefore be overstated, and I am proud to play my part in promoting the work of the AOP both in Parliament and outside.”
Henrietta Alderman, Chief Executive of the AOP said: “We’re delighted, and very grateful, to the distinguished parliamentarians who have agreed to become Honorary Associates of the AOP. All associates have been supportive of our work in the past and act as strong advocates for eye health issues in Parliament. We hope that by working even more closely together we will further advance the profile of optometry to Government.
“We look forward to working with all of our associates to highlight the importance of maintaining good eye health and championing the role of optometrists to key stakeholders.”
Further information about each associate can be found on the Honorary Associates page.
Ends
For more information, please contact Serena Box, PR and Media Manager, at the Association of Optometrists, [email protected] or telephone 020 7549 2063.
Notes to Editors
Association of Optometrists
The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is the leading representative membership organisation for optometrists in the UK. We support over 80% of practising optometrists, to fulfil their professional roles to protect the nation’s eye health. As a founding member of the Optical Confederation we work with others to improve eye health for the public good. For more information, visit www.aop.org.uk
Optometry Today
Optometry Today (OT) has a readership of 15,000 members and subscribers. OT was named as the ‘Best Professional Association or Royal College magazine’ at the MemCom 2016 Awards. Organised by MemCom – the networking organisation for membership marketing professionals – the awards recognise and celebrate excellence within the membership sector. The OT website offers subscribers exclusive access to over 65 CET exams per year, including bi-monthly CET video content. For more information, visit www.aop.org.uk/ot
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