RNIB Vision Pioneer Awards 2017 highlights video transcript

Sally Harvey, RNIB Chief Executive: I’m Sally Harvey, I’m Chief Executive at RNIB and I’m delighted to be here today for the 2017 RNIB Vision Pioneer Awards, which celebrate the work that professionals do in the eye health and sight loss sector.

[Applause]

Chris McCausland, Comedian and RNIB Vision Pioneer Awards Host:Welcome to the RNIB Vision Pioneer Awards 2017.

Lorna Forbes, RNIB Specialist Projects Lead:We received a number of nominations in and shortlisted down to National Finalists, and those are the people that are here today waiting to find out whether or not they have come out as the overall winner in each category.

[Applause]

Simon Berry, RNIB Vision Pioneer Campaigner of the Year Award Winner 2017:My name is Simon Berry; I’m an optometrist from Durham. I was nominated for changing the regulation around special facial characteristics. I wanted my patients to receive a better level of service especially children with Down’s syndrome. I really didn’t think I would win as all you know, but it was incredibly nice to be nominated and ever nicer to win.

Chris McCausland, Comedian and RNIB Vision Pioneer Awards Host:I would like to welcome onto the stage our Sponsor, Anil Pitalia, who is the CEO of SpaMedica Ladies and Gentlemen.

[Applause]

Anil Pitalia, CEO of SpaMedica and Event Sponsor:I never thought we would ever be in such an honourable position to sponsor these fantastic awards. I just want to say a huge thank you to the RNIB.

[Applause]

Adrian Iuga, RNIB Vision Pioneer Innovation Award Winner 2017:I’m Adrian and I’m an Eye Clinic Liaison Officer at Kings College Hospital in London.

RNIB Connect Radio Interviewer:And you’ve just won the Innovation Award today.

Adrian Iuga, RNIB Vision Pioneer Innovation Award Winner 2017: We’ve set up a screening programme to pick up any depression symptoms in our patients with significant sight loss.And hopefully in the future we will see something similar in every clinic throughout the country.

Corinna Swift, RNIB Vision Pioneer Professional of the Year Award Winner 2017:We don’t realise the impact we make on patients, so for me it’s just absolutely fantastic.

RNIB Connect Radio Interviewer:So it’s a really good feeling?

Corinna Swift, RNIB Vision Pioneer Professional of the Year Award Winner 2017:It is unbelievable

[Applause]

Tom Pey, RSBC Chief Executive and Award Presenter:With a karate chop and a kick, it’s Keith Hipkiss and Mandy Rowles!

Mandy Rowles, RNIB Vision Pioneer Teacher of the Year Award winner 2017:To actually win this means so much, we just hope that we can carry on teaching these amazing kids without feeling as if they are excluded, because they’re not in our gym, they never will be.

Bradford Vision Impairment Team, RNIB Team of the Year Award Winners 2017:We’ve just won the award for Team of the Year. We’re quite a big team; we’ve got a lot of children in Bradford who need our support. We work from birth to 19 years old and we try and work with other professionals as well.

[Applause]

My name is Imran Haq. I’m a junior doctor and I’ve just won the Voice of the Community Award. I made some videos they’re basically just going through eye conditions that can cause patients to lose their vision.

I’m using all of my strength to hold this award right now because it’s really heavy. I’m in complete shock. So yeah, I mean I’m really grateful.

Sally Harvey, RNIB Chief Executive:It gives me great pleasure Diane, to present to you the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017. Can I present Diane Roworth to you.

Diane Roworth, RNIB Vision Pioneer Lifetime Award Winner 2017: I’m Diane Roworth, and I’m the fairly recently retired Chief Officer of York Blind and Partially Sighted Society – you don’t realise until you’ve retired, what other people think about you and I’ve just read the information in the brochure and I’m thinking – Gosh was that me, was it really me?

No, it’s lovely; it’s really, really lovely.

[Applause]

Voiceover 1:To find out more about the RNIB Vision Pioneer Awards, visit rnib.org.uk/vpa

Voiceover 2:RNIB – supporting people with sight loss

[End of document]