BENJAMIN Opticians of Skipton are celebrating being named Best Independent Opticians in Great Britain.

At a recent ceremony, owner Liz Ellis and Practice Manager Julian Hotchkiss collected the trophy on behalf of the team at Benjamins.

The SightCare Awards showcase business achievements and celebrate hard work, quality and innovation within the independent Opticians sector across the UK.

Up against high quality competition, Benjamins won over the judges to claim the much-coveted accolade.

Liz said: “We have worked very hard in the last year revamping our lovely Newmarket Street building, so that we can offer even better service and accommodate lots of new equipment and even more frames on display.”

The award was presented by entrepreneur and business woman Penny Power and Chairman of Sightcare Martin White.

They said the team at Benjamins demonstrated that "a committed and meticulously executed plan to deliver remarkable growth to an already well established and highly regarded optical practice was just the beginning of a tremendously successful year for Benjamin Opticians.

"With a 65-year heritage, they have successfully developed clinical and dispensing services to stay at the forefront of Optometry.

"Succession planning through development of their training programme for Team Benjamin and a clinical team with a variety of special interests enables the practice to continually progress.

"Partnership with a local literature festival in addition to many other community events helped raise awareness of the care and services provided by Benjamin’s to the community, far and wide.

"Benjamin Opticians clearly demonstrate how great patient-focused services allow an independent practice to thrive across generations."