Queen’s Innovation Award at the double

Celebration cake

Forty VIP guests enjoyed a scorching ceremony at the Body Doctor in Huddersfield when the eyecare company was presented with its second Queen’s Award for Innovation by Her Majesty’s personal representative, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

The manufacturer of the Eye Doctor range won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category for its Sterileyes patented anti-bacterial compresses used to treat dry eye disease, meibomian gland dysfunction and blepharitis.

The Lord-Lieutenant, Ed Anderson, was greeted by 24 local schoolchildren waving flags as he arrived – and on the day the prime minister resigned, Dewsbury MP Mark Eastwood joined the celebration.

Mr Anderson emphasised that the Queen’s Award is the highest award for UK business, the “ultimate accolade” and said that the company should be understandably proud of gaining the recognition again.

The Body Doctor is also celebrating another milestone, as its sales and marketing director, Sam Wymer, highlighted: “This year, our 10th year of trading, we are expecting to achieve the one millionth Eye Doctor hot eye compress sold, which looking back, is quite an unbelievable achievement. Winning this prestigious award for the second time just goes to show the determination and commitment we have to the business. We cannot wait to see what can achieve together in the next 10 years.”

The company is backed by science and supported by experts in the medical field, including TV’s Dr Hilary Jones, who gave a talk to the children about eye health at the event.

The Body Doctor first won the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2016, and last year a patent was granted for Sterileyes following five years of research and development with three independent laboratories.

A representative from the company attended an awards reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by HRH the Prince of Wales on 12 July.