Meet the Committee: Introducing Claire Colwill

27 November 2025

We’re excited to launch our new “Meet the Committee” series, spotlighting the dedicated professionals who make up the Avon Local Optical Committee. Each feature offers a quick insight into the people working behind the scenes to support local eye care services, champion optometry, and help shape the future of community provision across the Avon area.

To begin the series, we’re delighted to introduce Claire Colwill, our newest committee member. Claire brings a rich mix of experience from multiple practice, locum work, and now independent practice leadership—along with a real passion for complex contact lenses and myopia management. She’s already getting involved in key areas of LOC work and brings fresh energy and perspective to the team.

You can read the full interview below!

Meet Claire – Avon LOC’s Newest Committee Member

Avon Local Optical Committee is delighted to welcome Claire, who joins the committee after several years of attending LOC meetings as an engaged observer. Although she has only recently stepped into the role formally, Claire brings with her a wealth of experience across multiple sectors of the profession and a strong enthusiasm for community eye care development.

Claire first became involved with the LOC during her pre-registration year, when her supervisor encouraged her to attend meetings. “I’ve been going ever since I qualified,” she explains. “I’d always considered joining, but I never had the time or the opportunity. With a change in my work situation, this felt like the right moment.”

Now that she’s part of the committee, Claire’s approach is to observe, learn, and understand where she can best contribute. “What I hope to bring—well, I think the future will tell,” she says. “I’m watching and learning at the moment to see what skills I can bring to support the team.”

Claire’s career in optics has been varied and rich. She completed her pre-registration training within a multiple, where she remained for four years, later moving into locum work for several years before returning once more to the multiple sector. Most recently, she has taken on a director role within an independent practice. Along the way, she has developed particular passions within the field. “I’m really passionate about contact lenses—especially complex lenses, mini-scleral fitting, and myopia management.”

When asked about the biggest opportunities for community eye care in the Avon area, Claire highlights the potential for fresh innovation. “There’s a gap for commissioning new services,” she says—an area she is keen to explore as part of the LOC’s ongoing work to support and expand community pathways.

Among the current projects, Claire is particularly excited about the committee’s Macula project. She also sees succession planning as an area where she hopes to make a meaningful contribution.

To add a lighter touch to our chat, we asked Claire for something her colleagues may be surprised to learn about her. Her answer? “I was once a world champion at a certain sport,” she reveals—though the details, she insists, will remain a mystery. “It might not be an official sport,” she adds with a smile, “but I was a world champion!”

Finally, when asked what she might be doing if she weren’t working in optics, Claire’s answer was immediate: “Accountant.”

We’re thrilled to welcome Claire to Avon LOC and grateful to her for being the first to take part in our new “Meet the Committee” series.