ABDO celebrates new entrants at Grad Ceremony

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) celebrated the graduation of dispensing opticians and contact lens opticians at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday 24 April.

The annual ceremony is a time-honoured tradition where graduands approach the dais one by one to be congratulated by the ABDO president.

The ceremonial handshake indicates the moment when graduands become graduates and become a full part of the profession of dispensing optics. ABDO president Daryl Newsome, and Elizabeth Shilling, Master of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, both addressed the graduands and their families and supporters who were in attendance.

Daryl Newsome said, “It was an honour to take part in this year’s graduation, a fantastic event as it always is. The graduates well deserved the celebration of their years of study. It was great to meet some of the family and friends who have supported them, and so important that they could join them in celebrating their success. We also welcomed teachers, lecturers, clinic managers and supervisors who joined the celebrations to make the event one that I’m sure every graduate will remember for the rest of their lives. On behalf of ABDO I want to wish each and every graduate well on this, the first step on their professional careers. I would encourage every one of them to be the best dispensing opticians they can be and to commit to improving their offering year on year as they maintain their journey into lifelong learning.”