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Association of British Dispensing Opticians

Annual report and accounts 2015

Membership benefits:

For the current range of ABDOmembership benefits and servicesrefer to the 2016 guide for ABDOmembers or visit www.abdo.org.uk.

The Association

2015 proved to be a year of considerable progressand innovation. Barry Duncan became our first

head of policy and development and quickly settled intothe role. Along with board members Jo Holmes and CliveMarchant, Mike Cody, LOCSU board member and Area 5secretary and Katie Docker, head of membership services,Barry conducted a review of our organisation and structure.

The result of that review was presented to members at theconsultation day in November. The board has endorsed theproposed changes to the area structure which will comeinto effect in January 2017. Details of the proposed changeswere outlined by Barry Duncan in the December issue ofDispensing Optics.

The Association entered a ground breaking partnershipwith the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (WCSM),the oldest optical body in the world and one of our originalparent bodies. The Association has taken on theresponsibility for conducting examinations for the companyfrom the summer of 2016 and ABDO College has taken onthe responsibility of providing training. The WCSM howeverretains its role as the awarding body.

This partnership enhances the optical career ladder, helps toensure consistent standards of training and a smooth accessroute for those wishing to enter courses leading to the FBDOqualification.

In November the Association announced that it wouldfreeze membership subscriptions for 2016 at the 2015 leveland once again Professional Indemnity Insurance rateswould remain unchanged, giving members unbeatablecover and value.

The 2015 conference proved to be both enjoyable andinnovative with special streams for both AOP and BCLAmembers. Despite the number of CET points availableattendance did not match the work and effort put intoorganising the event. The ABDO board has decided to nothold a conference in 2016, but put substantial effort intoproviding CET at both 100% Optical and Optrafair. It willreview this decision in due course.

Geri Dynan was appointed to the ABDO board in Octoberbecoming the first board member from Northern Ireland. Italso meant that for the first time the board comprised ofmembers from each of the four nations.

It is pleasing to note that ABDO College had its largest everintake of new students in September. This is reflected in thenumber of student members of the Association, but moreimportantly is a sign of the very large investment thatemployers in both the independent and multiple sectorsare making in our growing profession.

2015 annual report of the ABDO Board of Management

Association of British Dispensing Opticians Page 1

Special awardsAt the ABDO 2015 gala dinner on 20 September, Chris Huntwas awarded Life Membership, Deanne Gray was awardedHonorary Fellowship, James Russell was awarded theHamblin Memorial Prize and Brenda Rennie received theArea Prize (Area 12, Scotland).

Anthony Botten was awarded Life Membership at theboard and trustees dinner on 14 October.

Ian Hardwick received the Medal of Excellence at theArea 5 meeting on 2 November.

The Dispensing Optics Readership Prize for the best CETarticle in 2014 was presented to Andrew Keirl for his two partarticle ‘What are you on?’.

Robert Callander was awarded the prize for the bestcontribution from an ABDO member published in DispensingOptics for his articles ‘Diary of a practice redesign’.

ABDO BoardThe board continued to promote the eye care sector togovernment and politicians, and to the general public.Priorities remained the protection and furtherance of DOs’regulated functions.

Geri Dynan joined the board of directors in October 2015,replacing Kevin Gutsell following his resignation in October2014. Three places were available for election to the ABDOboard, and as only three nominations were received, therewas no ballot. Keith Cavaye and Kevin Milsom were dulyre-elected to serve for another three years.

The board is grateful to all members for their continuedsupport and look forward to working towards enhancing theprofession in the year ahead.

Board members 2015

FinanceDuring the year under review total income recorded a growthof 1.25 per cent compared to the previous year, mainly due tocross charges to ABDO College. Examinations income waslow as some students deferred to summer 2016. The surplus for2015 was £31,667. The Association continued to enhance thefixed assets base by investing £216,000 in 2015.

Marketing and Communications

Dispensing OpticsThe completely redesigned Dispensing Optics was launchedin January 2015. A new-look media information pack wasalso published and distributed to existing and potentialadvertisers via a direct mail campaign.

eNewsletterDuring 2015 a total of 20 ABDO eNewsletters were produced,in addition a dedicated ‘ABDO at 100% Optical’ and fourquarterly membership benefits eNewsletters were alsodistributed.

ABDO social media accounts ABDO introduced an official page on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/ABDOMembers. News for ABDOmembers can also be found on Twitter, @MembershipAbdo,and more general news from the world of eyes at@ABDONews. ABDO can also be found on LinkedIn at:www.linkedin.com/company/association-of-british-dispensing-opticians.

EyecareFAQThe steadily growing success of ABDO’s EyecareFAQcampaign continued throughout 2015.

EyecareFAQ is ABDO’s own consumer-focused social mediacampaign with the aim of answering the most frequentlyasked questions about eye care and eyewear, while makingthe public more aware of the role of the registereddispensing optician.

The special EyecareFAQ section of the ABDO website grewconsiderably during 2015, with new topics, pages andresources added each month. This section is designed forconsumers, and makes it easy to track data on how manypeople are clicking through from the social media channels,and follow their interests. Beyond that, the big plus of takingconsumers to the ABDO site is that they can see that theinformation they find via social media comes from a trustedprofessional source.



• Peter Black President

• Fiona AndersonVice President

• Anthony Blackman

• Jennifer Brower

• Keith CavayeRe-elected 19 September 2015

• Geri DynanAppointed 14 October 2015

• Jo Holmes

• Clive Marchant

• Kevin MilsomRe-elected 19 September 2015

During 2015 ABDO produced 12 EyecareFAQ infographicspacked with key facts about eye care in a visual format –hence there’s a growing number of useful, shareableresources that can help ABDO members promote theirprofessional services.

EyecareFAQ can be found at:• Facebook: www.facebook.com/eyecarefaq• Twitter: www.twitter.com/eyecarefaq• G+: plus.google.com/+eyecarefaq• Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/eyecarefaq• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyecarefaq/• ABDO website: http://www.abdo.org.uk/information-for-the-public/eyecare-faq/

ABDO at 100% OpticalOn 7 to 9 February ABDO participated at 100% Optical atLondon ExCel. 2015 was ABDO’s first time as an event partnerat 100% Optical and the outcome was a success. One of thespecial highlights at the show was the ‘ABDO Arms’, aspecially designated ‘pub’ bar area, which worked well andenabled ABDO board members and staff to engage withABDO members and other professionals from across theoptical sector.

ABDO at OptrafairOn 18 to 20 April ABDO participated at Optrafair atBirmingham NEC, with ABDO hosting a CET event at thespecially designed ‘ABDO CET Theatre’ within the exhibitionhall. The three-day ABDO CET event provided an opportunityto gain up to 8 interactive CET points from ABDO whileattending the show.

Jointly with the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO),ABDO hosted a networking party on Sunday 19 April. Thisprovided an opportunity for their respective members andother professionals to get together.

Optimum vision and eye protection in cricketIn May ABDO published a guide for coaches, parents,children and young people entitled 'Optimum vision and eyeprotection in cricket'.

Annual reportIn May ABDO published its 2015 annual report and accounts,this was made available to ABDO members as adownloadable PDF via the ABDO website and eNewsletter; ahard copy version was available upon request. The 2015report was also distributed at the ABDO annual meeting inSeptember.

Politics FirstABDO placed advertorial features in the July, September andDecember issues of Politics First.

Politics First is a non-partisan, bi-monthly magazine for the BritishGovernment and the British business community, providingcoverage and analysis of the pressing political issues in Britainand the wider world. The publication’s audience comprisesMPs, Peers, the top 200 Civil Servants and their policy leads,government departments, members of the devolvedgovernments and legislative chambers, directors of businessincluding the FTSE 250, leaders of business and tradeorganisations, leading third sector organisations and civilsociety groups, embassies/high commissions, members of theEuropean Parliament and British national media outlets.

EyecareFAQ radio campaignThe EyecareFAQ radio day was held on Friday 4 September.Featuring the results of an ABDO commissioned survey, thekey message was that parents are not focussed on children'seye care.

Many parents in the UK admitted they are unaware thattheir child’s eyes need to be tested at an early age. One ineight parents wrongly believe children only need to get theireyes tested if their parents wear glasses, and 85 per centadmit to not knowing much about children’s eye care. Thestudy of 2,000 UK parents with children under the age of 12highlights the lack of focus parents put on their children’seyesight.

During interviews Jo Holmes, ABDO board member, was ableto offer valuable insight into the topic of children's eye care.Jo drew on an array of relevant anecdotes and her expertiseon the subject was evident. Once she relaxed and got intothe flow of the day, Jo built great rapport with presenters;many of which thanked her for appearing on their shows. Shewas a great ambassador for ABDO and gave parents up anddown the country sound advice.

Coverage was secured throughout the UK with particularinterest coming from stations in the East Midlands and SouthEast. A total of 59 items of coverage were secured, includingtwo national stations, three major stations, seven leadingstations, four key stations, 11 typical stations and 33 localstations. Overall the radio campaign attained a weeklyaudience reach of 6.5 million with 2 hours and 37 minutesof coverage.

The online part of the campaign was well received by manylifestyle and health journalists. A total of seven items ofcoverage were secured, two national magazines & portals,one regional/niche site, and four blogs/independent sites.The site breakdown consisted of two parenting websites, twolocal news websites, two lifestyle websites, and one healthnews website. Resulting in a total audience reach of6,668,000 monthly unique visitors.

ABDO INSIGHT ABDO and ITN Productions continued their uniquecommunications partnership by producing a news andcurrent affairs style programme for 2015 called ‘ABDOINSIGHT’ capturing the latest innovations and best practisewithin the eye care sector.

The news-style programme combined key industry and sectorinterviews and reports with sponsored editorial profiles ofsome of the leading organisations in the sector. ABDOINSIGHT was screened for the first time at the ABDOconference on 20 - 21 September at Manchester Central.The programme formed part of an extensive onlinecommunications campaign, including ABDO members,others in the optical sector, journalists, writers, bloggersand the public.

A specially produced ABDO INSIGHT film was shown tothose attending the 2015 gala dinner in Manchester onSunday 20 September.

2015 ABDO conference and exhibitionTo promote the 2015 ABDO conference the marketingdepartment produced a set of conference logos, websitebanners, a flyer targeted at sponsors, a flyer targeted at

students and promotional stickers. The promotional stickerswere adhered to all outgoing Association postal items tocreate awareness of the event.

A new online booking and registration system wasdeveloped which incorporated session booking, conferenceinformation pages and secure online payment.

In addition to a launch advert, the 2015 conferenceadvertising campaign featured a set of three advertsfollowed, each with a distinct theme:

• NETWORKING • CONFERENCE • EXHIBITION

The 2015 conference advertisements appeared in DispensingOptics, Eyes Optician, OT and Vision Now. In addition, anumber of editorial features appeared in these journalsduring the build-up to the event. ABDO would therefore liketo express its gratitude for the generous and cooperativesupport received from all of these publications.

A 24-page conference and exhibition handbook, containingcomprehensive event details, was published and distributedto all delegates.

Examination publications In October ABDO published the following new documentsrelating to ABDO examinations:

• Diploma in Ophthalmic Dispensing Syllabus 2015• 2015 Guidance for students• 2015 Guidance for supervisors

Graduation and Prize Giving CeremonyMichael Potter, head of marketing and communications,assisted by Deanne Gray, organised the Association’s annualgraduation and prize giving ceremony. The event took placeat Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday 25 November withover 550 people in attendance. All those attending receiveda 28-page commemorative brochure. Special thanks go tothe dedicated event team for making the occasion a success.

Membership benefits and services brochureIn December ABDO members received a guide, producedby the ABDO marketing department, that outlines the rangeof membership benefits and services available for 2016.

ABDO event programmeDistributed with the January 2016 issue of Dispensing Optics, abrochure was produced by the ABDO marketing departmentto provide ABDO members with the planned programme ofinteractive CET events at locations throughout the UK.

Membership Services

The overall increase in the number of members highlights thecurrent demand for dispensing opticians, is indicative of therespect in which the profession is held and reflects the valueof ABDO membership.

The Association aims to provide the best possible support toits members, including Professional Indemnity Insurance, CETto cover all competencies and professional advice. ABDOmembers also continue to receive a wide range of benefitsand services, which were reviewed and updated duringthe year.



Policy and Development

Over the course of the year, the head of policy anddevelopment was involved in a number of projects whichhave a direct and tangible benefit to members of theAssociation.

In January, a meeting to discuss the future of the professionand primarily ABDO members was arranged by Barry Duncanand attended by senior staff and Peter Black, the ABDOPresident. It was agreed that in light of the changesoccurring in eye care provision in the home nations,opportunities to progress as a profession were presenting andit was essential ABDO seized the opportunity to ensuremembers were involved moving forward. A working groupwas established with the directive to review activity locallyand offer proposals on the future structure and direction oftravel for ABDO. In November, Barry presented the findings ofthe working group to the ABDO board. It was agreed that asof January 2017 there would be an internal restructure. Thefollowing key points would become operational fromJanuary 2017:

• Remove the existing area structure and replace withseven regions

• Replace existing the committee structure with a NationalClinical Committee (NCC)

• Create regional lead positions supported by sub-regionalleads with the emphasis on political activity

• All CET will be coordinated by the ABDO CET department inColchester

During 2016, members will be invited to apply for positions toform the new regional structure and the NCC.

During 2015, the head of policy and development along withmany ABDO staff delivered further training utilising theanatomically correct paediatric heads. Since the initialworkshop took place in May 2013, ABDO has providedtraining to more than 2,500 professionals in the UK andoverseas on paediatric spectacle dispensing. The team wereinvited to various LOCs, LEHNs and also worked with theHealth and Social Care department in Northern Irelandwhere workshops were conducted for both optometrists anddispensing opticians. Additionally Barry Duncan spoke at theNIOS Conference in Galgorm and was invited to speak atthe EVOCC event in Chennai.

Politically the head of policy and development continues toengage in many areas including work in the devolvedcountries, the Optical Confederation and during the courseof the year has worked closely with SeeAbility and VISION2020. He also represents ABDO on the Clinical Council for EyeHealth Commissioning in England.

Continuing Education and Training (CET)2015 was the final year of the GOC’s three-year enhancedCET period. This year’s combined total provided via areaevents, Optrafair, Dispensing Optics and 100% Optical was557 CET points. All competencies and modalities werecovered, free of charge to ABDO members. In addition, theABDO conference had sessions totalling 95 points. Thecompilation of 16 cases for members’ registrant-led peerdiscussions and six DO competency modules designed toassist in GOC restoration ensured that ABDO could satisfyevery member’s CET needs.

Our sponsors, to whom we are very grateful, played asignificant role at the area events they attended. This yearthey were involved in an online CET exercise which includedgeneral DO knowledge questions and also allowed membersto explore our sponsors’ products and services in more depth.Consequently, with the collaboration of the area organisers,the sponsors and the CET department, the events around theUK were efficiently and successfully managed, with excellentfeedback from the attending members.

In May, the department welcomed a new professional CETadministrator, Sue Bennett, to complete the office team.Joanne Abbott’s title altered to better reflect her job role,and she became ABDO’s regional CET coordinator.

In response to the requirement for DOs to undergo level 2Child Safeguarding training, ABDO decided to develop itsown online course, and this was completed by the CETdepartment at the end of the year, for launch at thebeginning of 2016. This course was subject to externalverification, and received a commendation by thecertificating body.

Full Members 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

(inc. Reduced full) 5397 5595 5639 5732 5862 5866

UK Students 1731 1579 1613 1379 1417 1607

Associate Members 620 579 543 548 494 474

Overseas Members 696 613 693 819 543 595

Others 251 282 293 296 308 332

Total (all categories) 8695 8648 8781 8774 8668 8874

In preparation for the end of the CET cycle, the departmentwas able to offer eight points of online CET for membersmissing a few points or competencies, and the marking andpoints uploads continued until the final few hours of the year.98 per cent of registrants were able to fulfil their requirementfor continuing registration for the next period.

The CET Committee appointed a new Chairman, KevinMilsom, and met three times during the year, with somecommittee members taking advantage of ABDO’s recentlyinstalled videoconferencing system.

ABDO CET at 100% OpticalABDO liaised with the AOP to host well-attended paediatricdispensing and repair skills workshops.

ABDO CET at OptrafairThe ABDO CET event at Optrafair provided a programme ofinternational speakers involved in the manufacture or R+Ddepartments of lens manufacturers, which gave delegates abehind the scenes look at getting products to market. ABDOis grateful to the speakers that supported the event, with aspecial thank you to Bernard Maitenaz, the inventor of theVarilux lens, who made the journey from France and spoke inEnglish despite his advancing years.

Professional relations

ABDO Conference and ExhibitionThe 2015 conference was held at Manchester Central,unfortunately attendance was disappointing and fell wellbelow expectations. The orgainsing team worked tirelesslyto secure sponsorship, but due to the unexpected poorattendance the event was also disappointing for ourindustry partners.

The comprehensive CET programme covered everymodality and competency to cater for those who still hadmissing elements towards the end of the CET cycle.

The new initiative partnering with the BCLA and AOP, andan examiner training held the day before the conference,failed in attracting any increase in delegate numbers. However, the pre-examination revision track for studentswas a great success. As there appears to be a demand formore interaction with students, Elaine Grisdale, AliciaThompson and Miranda Richardson will liase with theteaching establishments to look at the viability of running astudent event in 2017.

The increased number of free CET events available in themarketplace, including ABDO’s own successful areameetings, made the conference less attractive due to theneed to charge a realistic delegate fee. It has thereforebeen decided to reconsider the strategic necessity for anABDO annual conference and to postpone the event forthe foreseeable future. In 2016, ABDO will provide CET atother major events, in addition to providing a programme offree CET at area events throughout the year.

International development

E-learning Examinations where held in March 2015, with a cohort fromRomania consisting of opticians and ophthalmologists whohad undertaken the e-learning programme.

ChinaElaine Grisdale continued to develop international relations,particularly in China. China is an active market with a desireto upskill. Following the success of ABDO in India it wasthought that pursuing a similar path in China couldpotentially be advantageous for the Association.

Following a meeting in Munich at Opti in January 2015,Elaine was invited to the Shanghai Optical Fair to speak atthe first optometric conference run by COOA (ChinaOptometric and Optical Association) in February. She talkedabout the optical career pathway in the UK and the structureof the UK optical market with particular emphasis on the skillsof dispensing opticians.

This led to a further invitation to visit Wenzhou MedicalUniversity (WMU), one of the most respected teachingcentres for ophthalmology and optometry in China. ThePresident of WMU, Professor Lu Fan and Elaine decided toexplore the possibility of WMU working with ABDO. Themeeting in Wenzhou was followed by a visit of WMU seniorstaff to Godmersham in May to see the teaching facilitiesand meet senior staff from ABDO and ABDO College. Elainewas then invited to the biggest optical education meeting(for opthalmologists and optometrists predominantly) at theend of July, Vision China in Chengdu. Elaine spoke twice and



sat on a panel regarding education. Due to the successof this, she went back to Wenzhou in the autumn withSir Anthony Garrett where a memorandum of understandingwas signed between WMU and ABDO. Work is underway todevelop projects together and ABDO has been invited todeliver a full day of lectures and workshops at Vision China2016. The success of this will then determine futuredevelopments.

Following on from the original Shanghai meeting, Elaine wasapproached by previous contacts in Singapore. She visitedthe new training establishment for dispensing opticians, metwith local opinion leaders and dialogue has been reopened.Another opportunity orginating from Vision China 2015, wasan invitation from Professor Hongsheng Bi of theOphthalmology Department of the Shandong University ofTraditional Chinese Medicine in Jinan. Elaine was invited tospeak twice at the 2015 Opthalmology and OptometryInternational Forum in Jinan at the beginning of November.Talks were also initiated about a possible collaboration tointroduce a better understanding of the science ofdispensing optics in this part of China. A relationship is beingnurtured and Elaine is talking with them about being part ofthe next forum.

In the meantime, ABDO is getting known in the region andElaine is becoming a familiar face alongside the regularChinese speakers and opinion leaders at local highprofile events.

To assist future relations, Elaine is learning Mandarin to helpwith communication and to show respect to the contactsshe is dealing with.

New Zealand In November, Elaine Grisdale was invited to attend the ADONZannual conference in Hamilton. Over the three day period,she gave three presentations and attended the gala dinnerhanding over a prize to the best dispensing student. This was awonderful opportunity to see the great work of the ADONZcommittee and to catch up with our partner organisation andits members, many of whom are FBDO qualified.

Other Activities Elaine continued to work alongside Silmo with the aim ofpromoting ABDO overseas. She was again invited by Silmo’sPresident to join the judging panel for the Silmo d’Or trophyin the lens category. She continues to be a key member ofthe Silmo Academy scientific committee where sherepresents ABDO.

The relationship with the Club InterOptiques (a French think-tank made up of opinion leaders from varying sectors wholook at the future of optics) goes from strength to strength.Elaine is once again helping to organise the Franco-Britannique Bi-Lateral Optics conference to be held inNovember 2016. An offshoot of this collaboration has beentri-party activities with counterparts from France and fromthe ZVA in Germany. Exchanges of views and practises wereheld during 2015.

Dispensing Optics

Dispensing Optics was published 12 times during 2015, witheach issue carrying a CET article, business features,conference and meeting reports and previews, productfeatures, and profession and industry news targeted to thejournal’s primary audience: ABDO members.

January 2015 saw the launch of a new-look DispensingOptics, with a complete redesign, upgraded paper stockand gloss laminate covers. New editorial sections introducedinclude: Letters, Jobs & Notices and Product Spotlight.

In January 2015 we also launched a programme of themedissues for the year in a move towards more strategic editorialplanning linked in with advertising and CET. A new annualmedia kit was designed and printed for use in targeted directmail campaigns, and throughout the year.

ABDO members can access archived copies of DispensingOptics and the media kit via the ABDO website. The mediakit can be downloaded by non-members too.

New advertisers in 2015 included: Alcon, Bausch + Lomb,Hoya, Ocuco, OWP, Butterflies Healthcare and 100% Optical.This was in addition to long-term supporters: Norville,Rodenstock, Shamir, BBGR and Stepper.


Education Awarding of prizes

The Essilor PrizeAwarded to the highest mark inthe combined PreliminaryQualifying Examination:Hollie McIntyre

The Stepper PrizeAwarded for the highest markin the Preliminary QualifyingPractical Examination:Alexander Howe

The Carl Zeiss Vision PrizeAwarded to the best studenton the distance learningcourse:Beth McWilliams

The Association ofOptometrists PrizeAwarded for the highestmark in section A of the FinalQualifying PracticalExamination:Nicola Pearson

The Tony Griffiths Prizefor ExcellenceAwarded for the highest markin section B of the FinalQualifying PracticalExamination:Alexander Mitchell

The J W Grieve PrizeAwarded for the best highestmark in section C of the FinalQualifying PracticalExamination:Adam Small

The Rodenstock PrizeAwarded for the highest markin section D of the FinalQualifying PracticalExamination:Mubeen Ugharadar

The Sue Southgate PrizeAwarded for the highest markin section E of the FinalQualifying Examination:Peter Overton

The National Eyecare GroupOptinet PrizeAwarded for the bestpresented Pre-QualificationPortfolio in the Final QualifyingExamination:Sabrina Mattison

The Federation of (Ophthalmicand Dispensing) Opticians PrizeAwarded to the top dayrelease course student:Janet Chambers

The Worshipful Company ofSpectacle Makers PrizeAwarded for the highest markin the Final Qualifying PracticalExamination:Peter Overton

The FMO Derek McLarenMemorial PrizeAwarded for the highest UKstudent mark in the FinalQualifying Examination:Sabrina Mattison

The MAPO Malaysian PrizeAwarded for the highestinternational student mark inthe Final QualifyingExamination:Wong Pui Kheng

The Alcon Prize for ExcellenceAwarded for the highest markin the Practical Examination,Certificate in Contact LensPractice:Suzanne Rose

The Association of ContactLens Manufacturers PrizeAwarded for the highestmark in sections 2, 3 & 4 inthe Practical Examination,Certificate in ContactLens Practice:Laura Dayes

The Bailey PrizeAwarded for the highestfull pass, at the first attempt,in combined Theory andPractical Examinations,Certificate in ContactLens Practice:Suzanne Rose

The British Contact LensAssociation PrizeAwarded for the highestmark in the Aftercare sectionof the Practical Examination,Certificate in ContactLens Practice:Anna Foden

The Contamac PrizeAwarded to the best studenton the contact lens distancelearning course:Anne Edwards

The Johnson & Johnson VisionCare Excellence AwardAwarded for the highestaggregate mark in the TheoryExamination, Certificate inContact Lens Practice:Alice Barnes

The ABDO AdvancedContact Lens Practice PrizeAwarded for attaining theDiploma in Advanced ContactLens Practice:Keith Williams

Ted Watts Memorial PrizeAwarded for the highest markin the Low Vision PracticalExamination:Shamiala Chaudhri

The Elvin Montlake PrizeAwarded for the highestcombined mark in the LowVision Theory Examination:Helena Griffiths

Examinations

In 2015, 218 students gained the level 6 Diploma inOphthalmic Dispensing [FBDO], 25 students gained thelevel 6 Contact Lens Certificate [FBDO CL], onestudent gained the level 6 Diploma in the Assessmentand Management of Low Vision [FBDO (Hons) LVA] andone student gained the level 7 Diploma in AdvancedContact Lens Practice [FBDO (Hons) CL].

Eight students overseas, as well as 52 students inMalaysia and five students in India attained the FBDOOS dispensing qualification.

The overseas element of the Association’s examinationcontinues to develop, with practical dispensingexaminations held twice a year in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, at the Axismatics Professional Institute; inaddition theory and practical examinations were heldin India.

In 2015 over 200 students sat the Diploma in OphthalmicDispensing Examinations linked to Axismatics ProfessionalInstitute in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

During the year, visits continued to supervisors’practices; linked to trainees undertaking theirPre-Qualification Portfolio and also in preparationfor their Contact Lens Practical Examination.

AppreciationABDO would like to record its thanks to all theexaminers and practice visitors for their continuedsupport to the Association.

Congratulations go to the students listed here whoattained examination prizes in 2015.


Eyecare Trust

ABDO’s patronage of the Eyecare Trust plays a vital role infunding the charity’s valuable work and over the last yearhelped it launch a series of public eye health promotionstackling issues as diverse as smoking and sight loss, children’seye care, viewing the solar eclipse, presbyopia, vision anddriving, dry eye, glaucoma and firework safety. Theseinitiatives generated press coverage across the national andlocal media and helped educate the public about theimportance of regular sight tests as well as advising peoplehow to maximise their vision and keep their eyes healthy.

ABDO’s patronage also helped fund the Trust’s website,public information phone line and social media activity. TheTrust’s website (www.eyecaretrust.org.uk) provides animportant first port of call for people seeking advice about arange of eye care topics. Popular search terms includeswollen eye lid, sight tests, driving at night, screen use and myeyes. Over a quarter of a million visitors have used the site thisyear, many signposted from our links with NHS Choices.

The Eyecare Trust public information line continued toprovide a unique and direct response to individuals with eyehealth concerns.

The Trust’s Twitter account @EyeCareTrust helped keep theprofession and the public up-to-date with eye care news.

Providing powerful tools to help practitioners connect withtheir local communities and enhance patient care inpractices are also key priorities for the Trust. In 2015 the charityupdated its library of resources with materials about smokingand sight loss, glaucoma and the SPARKLER firework code.

During the last year the Trust has also worked with a numberof third parties to develop sponsored campaigns, such as itsEyes on the Road initiative, that extend the reach of itspublic promotion activity.

In addition to its own campaigning the Trust was responsiblefor delivering this year’s National Eye Health Week (NEHW)campaign on behalf of the whole optical sector. Over 2,500supporters took part in NEHW 2015 with supporter eventsincluding, farm shop tastings, vision screening events, coffeemornings, talks and open days.

National Eye Health Week also published the second editionof Vista, a consumer lifestyle magazine packed withimportant eye health advice. Vista enjoyed a readership inexcess of 200,000 whilst the online edition of the magazineaccounted for a further 175,000 consumers.

Social media activity during NEHW 2015 had a reach of over25 million and visits to www.visionmatters.org.uk which wasfeatured as Dr Miriam Stoppard’s website of the week in herDaily Mirror column, were up 25 per cent year-on-year.

During a four-week period spanning National Eye HealthWeek the media campaign generated 748 pieces ofcoverage and 146 million opportunities for the public to readsee and hear positive eye care advice. Including features onITV’s Lorraine programme and supplements in nationalnewspapers.

Twelve per cent of UK Adults said they recalled reading,seeing or hearing NEHW media and 77 per cent of these saidit had encouraged them to take better care of their eyehealth - including 1.5 million UK adults saying they were

encouraged to book a sight test for themselves or a familymember* (*Populus Consumer Analysis Study Commissionedby National Eye Health Week, conducted October 2015).

For more information about the charity’s work and how itcould support you in promoting positive eye care messageson a national, local or even individual (patient) level pleasevisit the Trust’s website at www.eyecaretrust.org.uk, or call0845 128 5007.

LOC Support Unit (LOCSU)

LOCSU’s leadership has continued to be vital for LOCsachieving an increase in the number of community servicesin England. Its intensive commissioning support – through itsteam of Optical Leads – has ensured a high rate of successin Any Qualified Provider and competitive tenders, as well asin re-commissioning of existing services.

Around a quarter of all the 500 plus community services arenow provided through the LOC Company model. Thedirection of travel for the most recent services is thatCommissioners are twice as likely to contract servicesthrough the LOC Company model than through individualcontracts with practices. This model allows practices of anysize to participate in community services.

A notable trend in the commissioning landscape in thepast year has been a regional momentum in theintroduction of community eye health services. LOCs oftencover more than one CCG and over 40 LOCs are nowcovered by a Regional Company. CCGs are drawn to thismodel, often looking across neighbouring borders at


established eye health services that have proven costeffective and are convenient for patients.

One initiative of particular interest for dispensing opticiansduring 2015 was the establishment of a Healthy LivingOptician pilot scheme in Dudley. The project – the first of itskind in England – puts dispensing opticians and opticalassistants on the front line of preventative health offering freehealth and lifestyle check-ups in participating practices.Smoking cessation, weight management and alcoholscreening are among the help offered to patients as part ofinnovative pilot devised by Dudley Local Optical Committeeand Public Health Dudley.

The National Optical Conference continues to be a keylearning forum for the sector, including a growing number ofdispensing opticians who attend the event. To cater for andencourage an increasing number of first-time delegates, the2015 NOC included a buddy system and a range ofnetworking meetings and practical workshops for dispensingopticians to enhance their knowledge and skills.

The LOCSU board continues to benefit from DOrepresentation through Sir Anthony Garrett, ABDO’s generalsecretary, and Mike Cody from ABDO and Abi Page who isthe London regional representative.

Public affairs

2015 proved to be another busy year for the OpticalConfederation’s Public Affairs team with the General Electionin May one of the main focuses of their work. In the monthsrunning up to the election, the team contacted over 2,100

prospective parliamentary candidates sending them briefingsabout the community eye health services currently availablein their constituency. The briefings proved extremely popularand led to many new relationships being developed. Sevencandidates also took time out of their campaign to attend apractice visit and meet with their LOC.

The work with candidates, coupled with the programme ofpractice visits in previous years meant that when the newParliament began, 40 MPs had already attended practicevisits and around 15 per cent of the members of the House ofCommons had been in contact with the OC. In order to buildon this work, a large number of meetings have beenarranged in Parliament, both with new and more establishedMPs, allowing the OC to increase its number of supportersgreatly. In addition to this, 17 practice visits happened in 2015allowing MPs to gain a much greater understanding of thecurrent situation in their local area.

As in previous years, the OC attended with political partyconferences and had a joint exhibition stand at the Labourand Conservative events, working with Pharmacy Voice andthe National Community Hearing Association. The keymessages that primary care is made up of more than just GPsand that dispensing opticians and optometrists are anunderutilised part of primary care proved popular with all delegates at the conferences and resulted in over 60 MPsvisiting the stand in the two week period. Many of thesepledged to continue working with the OC to highlight the roleof the sector and 26 agreed to attend practice visits whichare currently in the process of being organised. Alistair Burt,the Department of Health Minister with responsibility forophthalmic services was one of the more high profile visitorsto the stand at the Conservative conference. At Labour, the

Shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander and the ShadowMinister, Barbara Keeley both visited.

2015 saw a packed legislative programme being introducedby the new Government with several key pieces of legislationbeing monitored in detail by the Public Affairs team to look forpotential threats and opportunities for the sector. Theseincluded the Cities and Local Government Devolution Billwhich covers the possible devolution of policy areas,including both health and business rates, to local areas andthe Enterprise Bill which looks at how small businesses operate.

In total, 29 consultations were responded to by the OpticalConfederation covering a wide range of policy areasincluding learning disabilities, the NHS mandate, primary careand the NHS Standard Contract.



Optical Confederation

The Association played its full part in the work of the OpticalConfederation (OC) during the year.

The Public Affairs team had a busy and productive year inthe run up to and following the General Election. Providingcandidate briefings, organising constituency visits andmeetings at the Party Conferences, as well as the routinework of monitoring legislation and co-ordinating responses toGovernment consultations.

The Optical Leaders Group agreed to commission aresearch project on the future of the sector. The Foresightproject was programmed to be launched in March 2016(a copy can be download at: http://www.abdo.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Foresight_Full-Report_WEB_SPS.pdf).

LOCSU as part of the OC had a productive year drivingforward the development of LOC companies, providingtraining for LOC members and working on a number ofsuccessful commissioning bids.

The OC under the chairmanship of long standing ABDOmember Chris Hunt provided a stable and effective platformfor the member bodies to come together and discuss andact on matters of common concern. It is hoped that theseclose working relationships will continue to develop.

The OpticalConfederationchief executivesgroup 2015


The Directors report year ended 31 December 2015The directors present their report and the financialstatements of the company for the year ended31 December 2015.

Principal activitiesThe principal activity of the company during the yearwas that of the support and advancement of theinterests and examination of dispensing opticians.

DirectorsThe directors who served the companyduring the year were as follows:

Mrs F Anderson BSc(Hons) FBDO R SMC(Tech)

Mr P Black MBA FBDO

Mr A Blackman BSc(Hons) FBDO CL (Hons) SLD SMC(Tech)

Mrs J Brower FBDO (Hons) LVA Cert Ed

Mr K Cavaye FBDO (Hons) CL FBCLA

Mrs G Dynan FBDO

Appointed 14 October 2015

Mrs J Holmes FBDO

Mr C Marchant FBDO

Mr K Milsom FBDO R FEAOO

Directors’ responsibilitiesThe directors are responsible for preparing the directors'report and the financial statements in accordance withapplicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to preparefinancial statements for each financial year. Under thatlaw the directors have elected to prepare the financialstatements in accordance with United KingdomGenerally Accepted Accounting Practice (UnitedKingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the directors must not approve thefinancial statements unless they are satisfied that theygive a true and fair view of the state of affairs of thecompany and of the profit or loss of the company forthat year.

In preparing these financial statements, the directorsare required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then applythem consistently;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that arereasonable and prudent;

• prepare the financial statements on the goingconcern basis unless it is inappropriate to presumethat the company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequateaccounting records that are sufficient to show andexplain the company's transactions and disclose with

reasonable accuracy at any time the financial positionof the company and enable them to ensure that thefinancial statements comply with the Companies Act2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding theassets of the company and hence for takingreasonable steps for the prevention and detection offraud and other irregularities.

Each of the persons who is a director at the date ofapproval of this report confirm that:

• so far as each director is aware, there is no relevantaudit information of which the company's auditor isunaware; and

• each director has taken all steps that they ought tohave taken as a director to make themself aware ofany relevant audit information and to establish thatthe company's auditor is aware of that information.

Small company provisionsThis report has been prepared in accordance with theprovisions applicable to companies entitled to the smallcompanies exemption.

Registered office: 199 Gloucester Terrace, London W2 6LDApproved by the directors on 21 April 2016

Signed by order of the directorsSir Anthony Garrett CBE HonFBDO

Company Secretary

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians

Limited by guarantee - Registered number 2012484

Independent auditor’s reportWe have audited the financial statements of theAssociation of British Dispensing Opticians (Limited byGuarantee) for the year ended 31 December 2015. Thefinancial reporting framework that has been applied intheir preparation is applicable law and the FinancialReporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April2008) (United Kingdom Generally AcceptedAccounting Practice applicable to Smaller Entities).

This report is made solely to the company's members,as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 ofthe Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has beenundertaken so that we might state to the company'smembers those matters we are required to state tothem in an auditor's report and for no other purpose.To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do notaccept or assume responsibility to anyone other thanthe company and the company's members as a body,for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions wehave formed.

Respective responsibilities of directors and auditorAs explained more fully in the directors' responsibilitiesstatement set out on page 14, the directors areresponsible for the preparation of the financialstatements and for being satisfied that they give a trueand fair view. Our responsibility is to audit and expressan opinion on the financial statements in accordancewith applicable law and International Standards onAuditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us tocomply with the Auditing Practices Board's EthicalStandards for Auditors.

Scope of the audit of the financial statementsAn audit involves obtaining evidence about theamounts and disclosures in the financial statementssufficient to give reasonable assurance that the financialstatements are free from material misstatement, whethercaused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of:whether the accounting policies are appropriate to thecompany's circumstances and have been consistentlyapplied and adequately disclosed; the reasonablenessof significant accounting estimates made by thedirectors; and the overall presentation of the financialstatements. In addition, we read all the financial andnon-financial information in the annual report to identifymaterial inconsistencies with the audited financialstatements and to identify any information that isapparently materially incorrect based on, or materiallyinconsistent with, the knowledge acquired by us in thecourse of performing the audit. If we become aware ofany apparent material misstatements or inconsistencieswe consider the implications for our report.

Opinion of the financial statementsIn our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of thecompany's affairs as at 31 December 2015 and of itsprofit for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance withUnited Kingdom Generally Accepted AccountingPractice applicable to Smaller Entities; and

• have been prepared in accordance with therequirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Opinion on other matters prescribed by theCompanies Act 2006In our opinion the information given in the directors' reportfor the financial year for which the financial statementsare prepared is consistent with the financial statements.

Matters on which we are required to report byexceptionWe have nothing to report in respect of the followingmatters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us toreport to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, orreturns adequate for our audit have not beenreceived from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with theaccounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of directors' remuneration specifiedby law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information andexplanations we require for our audit; or

• the directors were not entitled to prepare the financialstatements in accordance with the small companiesregime and take advantage of the small companies'exemption in preparing the directors' report and takeadvantage of the small companies exemptions fromthe requirement to prepare a strategic report.

Colin Reid (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Burgess HodgsonChartered Accountants & Statutory Auditor, Camburgh House,27 New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3DN

Date: 21 May 2016

Independent auditor’s report to the members of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians

Limited by guarantee - Year ended 31 December 2015

Note 2015 2014Fixed assets £ £ £ £Intangible assets 5 63,801 74,858Tangible assets 6 655,151 544,109Investments 7 500,000 500,000

1,218,952 1,118,967Current assetsDebtors 8 467,159 572,132Cash at bank and in hand 618,609 289,979

1,085,768 862,111

Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 10 795,868 503,333

Net current assets 289,900 358,778Total assets less current liabilities 1,508,852 1,477,745

Reserves 14Profit and loss account 15 1,508,852 1,477,745Members’ funds 1,508,852 1,477,745


Profit and loss accountYear ended 31 December 2015 Note 2015 2014

£ £Turnover 3,106,675 3,160,851Cost of sales 1,059,688 983,125

Gross profit 2,046,987 2,177,726

Administrative expenses 2,399,839 2,433,686Other operating income (383,022) ( 286,091)

Operating profit 2 30,170 30,131Interest receivable 1,497 620

Profit on ordinary activities before taxation 31,667 30,751Tax on profit on ordinary activities 4 560 402

Profit for the financial year 31,107 30,349

Balance sheet31 December 2015

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicableto small companies regime and with the Financial Reporting Standard for SmallerEntities (effective April 2008).

These accounts were approved by the directors and authorised for issue on21 April 2016 and are signed on their behalf by: Mr P Black MBA FBDO

1. Accounting policies

Basis of accountingThe financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention,and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities(effective April 2008).

TurnoverTurnover represents subscriptions and examination fees.

In respect of long-term contracts and contracts for on-going services, turnover representsthe value of work done in the year, including estimates of amounts not invoiced.

AmortisationAmortisation is calculated so as to write off the cost of an asset, less its estimatedresidual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Website - Straight line over useful economic life of asset

Fixed assetsAll fixed assets are initially recorded at cost. Amortisation / Depreciation occurs oncethe asset is brought into use. Refer to note 6 for further disclosure with respect toproperty improvements.

DepreciationDepreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of an asset, less its estimatedresidual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Property improvements ............... 2% straight lineFixtures and fittings ....................... Straight line over useful economic life of assetComputer hardware ................... Straight line over useful economic life of assetComputer software ..................... Straight line over useful economic life of assetExam equipment ......................... Straight line over useful economic life of asset

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (Limited by guarantee)

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (Limited by guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements Year ended 31 December 2015

5. Intangible assets Website

Cost £At 1 January 2015 117,133Additions 15,986At 31 December 2015 133,119

AmortisationAt 1 January 2015 42,275Charge for the year 27,043At 31 December 2015 69,318

Net book valueAt 31 December 2015 63,801At 31 December 2014 74,858

Operating lease agreementsRentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risksof ownership remain with the lessor are charged against profits on a straight line basisover the period of the lease.

Pension costsThe company contributes to the personal pension plans of certain employees, subjectto a maximum of 10 per cent of the employee's annual salary. Such contributions areheld independently of the company's finances. The contributions made are chargedto the profit and loss account as they arise.

Financial instrumentsFinancial instruments are classified and accounted for, according to the substance ofthe contractual arrangement, as either financial assets, financial liabilities or equityinstruments. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest inthe assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.

Page 17

2. Operating Profit2015 2014

Operating profit is stated after charging: £ £Staff pension contributions 72,794 73,369

Amortisation of intangible assets 27,043 23,426

Depreciation of owned fixed assets 87,961 87,107

Auditor's fees 16,034 14,227

3. Directors’ remuneration2015 2014

The directors' aggregate remuneration in respect £ £of qualifying services were:

Aggregate remuneration 30,750 30,000

4. Taxation on ordinary activitiesAnalysis of charge in the year

2015 2014 UK Corporation tax based on the results for the year at 20% £ £(2014 - 20%) 560 402

Total current tax 560 402

6. Tangible assets Property Fixtures & Computer Exam Computer Imp'ments Fittings Hardware Equipment Software Total

Cost £ £ £ £ £ £

At 1 Jan 2015 369,449 33,012 121,001 196,241 446,589 1,166,292

Additions - 1,998 5,984 - 191,021 199,003

At 31 Dec 2015 369,449 35,010 126,985 196,241 637,610 1,365,295

DepreciationAt 1 Jan 2015 86,319 24,630 83,549 151,629 276,056 622,183

Charge for the year 7,389 2,703 21,226 40,333 16,310 87,961

At 31 Dec 2015 93,708 27,333 104,775 191,962 292,366 710,144

Net book valueAt 31 Dec 2015 275,741 7,677 22,210 4,279 345,244 655,151

At 31 Dec 2014 283,130 8,382 37,452 44,612 170,533 544,10

Property improvements relate to 199 Gloucester Terrace, a property owned by EusebiusLimited, a company in which the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), theFederation of [Ophthalmic and Dispensing] Opticians (FODO) and the Federation ofManufacturing Opticians (FMO) each beneficially own one third of the issued share capital.

ABDO, FMO and FODO occupy the property owned by Eusebius Limited and each bearone third of the property running costs. The amounts shown above represent the amountspaid by ABDO in respect of its share of property improvements. These improvements aredepreciated over 50 years on a straight line basis.


8. Debtors 2015 2014 £ £Trade debtors 208,745 201,729

Amounts owed by undertakings in whichthe company has a participating interest 19,781 48,305

VAT recoverable 17,016 16,801

The ABDO College of Education - 125,880

Other debtors 50,299 56,672

Prepayments and accrued income 171,318 122,745

467,159 572,132

9. Debtors - The ABDO College of Education

The ABDO College of Education, a registered charity, was originally established underthe auspices of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians. As part of its support forthe charity the Association entered into a deed of grant on the 14 February 2011 toassist ABDO College in meeting its debts as they fall due and in the furtherance of itscharitable objectives for a period of five years.

10. Creditors Amounts falling due within one year

11. Commitments under operating leases At 31 December 2015 the company had aggregate

annual commitments under non-cancellable

operating leases as set out below. 2015 2014 £ £

Operating leases which expire: Within 2 to 5 years 21,220 21,220

12. Contingencies The Association of British Dispensing Opticians entered into a deed of grant on 14February 2011 to assist the ABDO College of Education to meet its debts as they falldue for a period of five years.

The board of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians agreed to review thedeed of grant for a further five years from February 2011 on the 26 April 2010.

2015 2014£ £ £ £

Trade creditors 511,761 329,671

Other creditors including taxation and social security:Corporation tax 560 402PAYE and social security 28,174 28,904The ABDO College of Education 86,468 -Other creditors 89,239 79,968Accruals and deferred income 79,666 64,388

284,107 173,662795,868 503,333

2015 2014Aggregate capital and reserves £ £Eusebius Limited 1,035,725 1,065,342

Profit and (loss) for the yearEusebius Limited (29,617) ( 29,617)

7. Investments TotalCost £At 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2015 500,000

Net book valueAt 31 December 2015 and 31 December 2014 500,000

The company owns 500,000 £1 ordinary 'A' shares, being 33.33%of the ordinary issued share capital, in Eusebius Limited.

13. Related party transactions The Association of British Dispensing Opticians, a companylimited by guarantee, was controlled throughout the year byits members.

Charges of £98,000 (2014: £95,600) were made to theAssociation of British Dispensing Opticians by the ABDOCollege of Education in respect of costs incurred in theprovision of administrative support services.

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians charged TheABDO College of Education £145,000 (2014; £62,000) in respectof administrative salaries.

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians donated £500(2014: £12,000) to the ABDO College of Education.

As at 31 December 2015 the Association of British DispensingOpticians was owed £nil (2014: £125,880) by the ABDO Collegeof Education.

As at 31 December 2015 the Association of British DispensingOpticians owed the ABDO College of Education £86,468(2014: £nil).

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians is a member ofthe ABDO College of Education whose trustees include up tosix trustees appointed by the Association of British DispensingOpticians.

At the year end the Association of British Dispensing Opticiansowed £30,019 (2014: £21,315) to the ABDO Benevolent Fund, aconnected charity.

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians owns 33.33 percent of the ordinary issued share capital in Eusebius Limited. Asat 31 December 2015 Eusebius Limited owed the Association ofBritish Dispensing Opticians £19,781 (2014: £48,305).

14. Company limited by guarantee The company is limited by guarantee, not having sharecapital. In the event of the winding-up of the company eachmember of the Association undertakes to contribute suchamount as may be required, not exceeding £20, either whilsta member or within one year of his membership ceasing.

Officers andprofessional advisors

The board of directors

Mrs F Anderson BSc(Hons) FBDO R SMC(Tech)

Mr P Black MBA FBDO

Mr A Blackman BSc(Hons) FBDO CL (Hons) SLD SMC(Tech)

Mrs J Brower FBDO (Hons) LVA Cert Ed

Mr K Cavaye FBDO (Hons) CL FBCLA

Mrs G Dynan FBDO

Appointed 14 October 2015

Mrs J Holmes FBDO

Mr C Marchant FBDO

Mr K Milsom FBDO R FEAOO

Company secretarySir Anthony Garrett CBE HonFBDO

Registered office199 Gloucester TerraceLondon, W2 6LD

AuditorBurgess HodgsonChartered Accountants &Statutory AuditorCamburgh House27 New Dover RoadCanterbury, Kent, CT1 3DN

BankersBarclays Bank PlcLevel 27, 1 Churchill PlaceLondon, E14 5HP

SolicitorsHempsons, 40 Villiers StreetLondon, WC2N 6NJ

Page 19

15. Profit and loss account 2015 2014 £ £Balance brought forward 1,477,745 1,447,396Profit for the financial year 31,107 30,349

Balance carried forward 1,508,852 1,477,745

Legal and administrative details

The Association of British Dispensing OpticiansBenevolent Fund is a registered Charity (RegistrationNumber 299447), and is governed by a Trust Deeddated 10 October 1962.

TrusteesTrustees are appointed by the Board of the Associationof British Dispensing Opticians. The trustees during theyear ended 31 December 2015 were:

Mr J Baker Miss K DevlinMr E Hall Mrs R Kirk

Management committeeMembers who served on the committee during theyear were:

Mrs J Brower (Chairman) Ms J HolmesMr D Kirk Ms M TaylorMrs S Williams

Trustees’ report

Charitable objectivesThe object of the charity is to assist by donation or grantnecessitous persons who are or were members of theAssociation or the employees of members of theAssociation who are engaged in or connected withdispensing optics, and in each case the dependants ofsuch persons.

Membership of the Benevolent Fund is open to allmembers of the Association.

Statement of trustees’ responsibilitiesCharity law and the charity’s deed of trust requires thetrustees to prepare financial statements for eachfinancial year which gave a true and fair view of thestate of affairs of the fund and of the income andexpenditure of the fund for that period.

In preparing those financial statements, the trustees arerequired to select suitable accounting policies andthen apply them consistently; make judgements andestimates that are reasonable and prudent andprepare the financial statements on a going concernbasis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the fundwill continue to operate.

The trustees are responsible for keeping properaccounting records which disclose with reasonableaccuracy at any time the financial position of the fundand enable that the financial statements comply with

the requirements of the Charities Act and the trustdeed. They are also responsible for safeguarding theassets of the fund and hence for taking reasonablesteps for the prevention and detection of fraud andother irregularities.

Review of the transactions and the financial positionThe deed of trust places the administration of the fundwith a management committee whose review of thetransactions and the financial position is on page 21.

Connected charityThe fund is connected to the ABDO College ofEducation by unity of administration. The object of theCollege is to advance and promote education andresearch in the science and practice of optics for thepublic benefit and to disseminate the useful results ofsuch research. There were no material transactionsbetween the two charities.

AuditorsThe trust deed requires the fund’s accounts to beaudited. Burgess Hodgson LLP, have indicated theirwillingness to continue in office and accordingly aresolution will be proposed at the forthcoming AnnualGeneral Meeting that they be appointed as auditors tothe fund for the ensuing year.

J Baker, K DevlinOn behalf of the trustees 21 March 2016


Annual report and financial statements of the ABDO Benevolent Fund

For the year ended 31 December 2015

Principal address199 Gloucester TerraceLondonW2 6LD

AuditorsBurgess HodgsonChartered Accountantsand Registered AuditorsCamburgh House27 New Dover RoadCanterburyKent CT1 3DN

Management Committee reportFor the year ended 31 December 2015

During 2015 the fund received a total of£11,989 which included the ABDO grant forthe year and affinity card payment.

For the above period the managementcommittee continued to maintain contactwith the beneficiaries of the fund, reviewinggrants as and when it becomes appropriate.The beneficiaries received a total of £4,423in 2015.

Report of the auditors to the trustees ofthe Association of British DispensingOpticians Benevolent FundWe have audited the financial statements onpages five to six, which have been preparedunder the historical cost convention.

Respective responsibilities of trusteesand auditorsAs described on page 20 the trustees areresponsible for the preparation of financialstatements. It is our responsibility to form anindependent opinion, based on our audit,on those statements and to report ouropinion to you.

Basis of opinionWe conducted our audit in accordance withauditing Standards issued by the AuditingPractices Board.

An audit includes examinations, on a testbasis, of evidence relevant to the amountsand disclosures in the financial statements. Italso includes an assessment of the significantestimates and judgements made by the

trustees in the preparation of the financialstatements, and of whether the accountingpolicies are appropriate to the trust’scircumstances, consistently applied andadequately disclosed.

We planned and performed our audit so as toobtain all the information and explanationswhich we considered necessary in order toprovide us with sufficient evidence to givereasonable assurance that the financialstatements are free from materialmisstatement, whether caused by fraud orother irregularity or error. In forming ouropinion we also evaluated the overalladequacy of the presentation of informationin the financial statements.

OpinionIn our opinion the financial statements give atrue and fair view of the state of the trust’saffairs as at 31 December 2015 and of itsincome and expenditure for the year thenended and have been properly prepared inaccordance with the provisions of theCharities Acts.

Colin Reid (Senior Statutory Auditor)Burgess Hodgson 21 May 2016

Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditor, Camburgh House, 27 New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3DN

Page 21

2015 2014 £ £ £ £

Income and ExpenditureSubscriptions and Donations Received 90 500Grant from ABDO 10,300 10,300Affinity Card 1,298 1,390

11,688 12,190 Investment IncomeBank Interest Received 301 57

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 11,989 12,247

Direct Charitable ExpenditureGrants to Dependants or Beneficiaries (4,423) ( 15,218)

Other ExpenditureBank interest payable - -Commission (27) ( 17)

NET INCOME/EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR 7,539 (2,988)Fund Balance Brought ForwardAt 1 January 2015 68,420 71,408

Unrestricted Fund Balance Carried Forward 75,959 68,420

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians Benevolent Fund

2015 2014 £ £

Current AssetsCash at Bank 36,896 36,220Debtors 9,044 10,624Debtors - ABDO 30,019 21,576

75,959 68,420Current LiabilitiesCreditors - -

Net Assets 75,959 68,420

Financed By:Accumulated/Unrestricted FundBalance Brought Forward 68,420 71,408

Excess of income over Expenditure for the year 7,539 (2,988)

75,959 68,420

Approved by the Trustees on 21 March 2016 J Baker Trustee K Devlin Trustee

Balance sheetYear ended 31 December 2015

Statement of Financial ActivitiesYear ended 31 December 2015

Association of British Dispensing Opticians199 Gloucester TerraceLondon W2 6LDTelephone 020 7298 5100 Email [email protected] www.abdo.org.uk

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