In September 1984 four young school leavers from four corners of the UK arrived in Cheltenham to start their training at Cheltenham School of Orthoptics. That was the start of a strong friendship that has lasted 40 years.

We bonded immediately in the nurses’ home, especially having to deal with one of us being taken to the police station for questioning on the first day! There was a strict uniform policy of white coats, nylon tights and low-heeled shoes, although we flouted it during a lecture once by wearing a variety of rainbow-coloured tights when the head of school, Miss Hardy, was absent.

We stuck together through Vivas, OSCEs, conferences and exams. We made the most of our free time too and had some memorable “bad taste” parties, wearing specially created glasses. The 3 year Diploma course was tough, but we worked hard and all qualified in 1987. We have all had successful careers in Orthoptics and have (mostly) loved the job. The School of Orthoptics was flattened many years ago but the Orthoptic Department continues to thrive.

We have had many holidays together and meet up at least once a year. We are still living hundreds of miles apart but recently came together in Cheltenham, along with 2 fellow students from the year above, to celebrate the 40 years since we started. We recreated a photograph taken on the steps of the then nurses accommodation. No white coats to hand but occluders at the ready!

Here’s to the next chapter. We look forward to sharing many more happy times together.

Catherine Billington, Senior Orthoptist