It has been a whirlwind 12 months and I sometimes can’t quite believe what we have managed to achieve as a team in such as short space of time. In our first year of trading, we have seen many changes and learned so many new things to help grow our company.

From the outset of making the Eye Guide MC, I was adamant we would do all we could as a company to ensure we didn’t add to the ever-increasing carbon footprint on our planet.

So I created a company and a product with a core goal of being environmentally-friendly and sustainable.

Eye Guide MC is made with no wires to plug in or batteries to recharge, therefore not adding to energy consumption – we use no surgery either, which means Eye Guide MC is as non-invasive to you and to the environment as we can possibly make it.

For those that know me, they know how important the environment is to me. I am passionate about reducing plastic-waste, so this was the first thing Chris and I considered at the start of our journey to becoming business owners.

All our Guide arms are made from recycled plastic. When we started to think about where Eye Guide MC was to be manufactured, there was no doubt in our minds that we wanted it to be made as near to our HQ and clinic in Long Sutton as possible, so we opted for a family-run manufacturer in Kings Lynn, just 17 miles away.

Our beautiful blue boxes are also fully recyclable and we ensure that our leaflets and brochures, when printed, are made with recyclable paper.

In addition, we are now looking into our impact on the roads and the carbon footprint made by us and our clients through travel – so we have trialled and now introduced a new system by which we travel to one area and hold one consultation and fitting event, in doing so reducing our travel. We will still continue to conduct as many meetings as we can virtually and we have launched a digital newsletter to keep our growing community up to date with our news.

We pride ourselves on our commitment to partnering with companies that share our dedication and commitment to sustainable business practices. We will endeavour to ensure that our company keeps on learning about new ways to reduce waste and become as sustainable as possible.