There are moments that feel genuinely historic, and when Peter Layton was invited to accept the fair's very first Lifetime Achievement Award, it felt exactly that way.

In accepting the honour, Peter was characteristically gracious and passionate. "I am absolutely delighted to be receiving this award and to be its first recipient," he told the room. "Gaining recognition for this extraordinary medium has been my mission for the past fifty years and this award is a positive acknowledgement of that endeavour."

The afternoon was also a moment for gratitude. Peter paid tribute to his remarkable team, "truly wonderful," in his words, and to his wife Ann, who over recent decades has led London Glassblowing to its current standing. He introduced daughter Sophie and her husband Tim Rawlinson, both accomplished artists, who are now taking the reins and carrying the studio into its next chapter. A family endeavour, a living legacy.

Collect is the world's leading fair for contemporary craft and design, and as TF, the fair's new director wrote in his catalogue introduction, craft is "evermore crucial at a time when we are overwhelmed and even threatened by technology." Peter has believed that his entire career. This award says the world is finally catching up.

"It's been an incredible journey," Peter reminisced, "and if only I could start all over again!"

We cannot think of a more deserving person to carry this distinction first, nor a more fitting year in which to give it. As London Glassblowing turns 50, we are celebrating that milestone with Celebrating 50 Years of London Glassblowing, running 12 June to 5 July at our Bermondsey Street studio - a tribute to five decades of creativity, collaboration and innovation, and to the many artists who have shaped this remarkable journey.

We hope you'll join us.