
Stephen’s spec-tacular recovery merits special adversity award
Some of our readers may be aware that we recently picked up another award. This time it was the Chairman’s Special Award during the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards at Battersea Evolution in London in May. The award was given to a business that has faced and overcome major difficulties. Allegro Optical’s Managing Director Stephen Tighe, who co-founded the business with partner Sheryl Doe, fell seriously ill in 2017. Just months after opening the practice in Meltham and was hospitalised for almost three months and spent another month in convalescence care.
Helping Musicians to see the music
Allegro Optical works with The Royal Northern College of Music, The Halle Orchestra and Huddersfield Philharmonic. The team help musicians who struggle to focus on printed music and written notation due to a variety of eye conditions. Known as the ‘musician’s optician’, they are the first and only opticians to become registered British Association of Performing Arts Medicine practitioners. Sheryl’s pioneering work has been recognised within the industry when she won the Opticians Awards Dispensing Optician of the Year at the Industry’s national awards evening in Birmingham in March.

A word from the Chairman
FSB National Chairman Mike Cherry said: “This is an incredible story of a family business defeating the odds, not only managing to continue and grow their company but overcoming adversity in terms of Stephen’s health too. The whole team, led by Sheryl and Stephen have pulled together to make sure Allegro Optical is a success, and it’s down to them that the businesses have gone from strength to strength. “The opticians not only provides an important community service but has carved out a niche, providing eye-care to renowned musicians. It gives me huge pleasure to present Allegro Optical with this award.”