ABDO welcomes two new regional leads for the South of England

ABDO welcomes two new regional leads for the South of England

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) is welcoming two new regional leads for the South of England.

Lynne Pulley, FBDO, will be looking after the South East and London. Lynne qualified as dispensing optician (DO) in 1992. She works as a locum across southeast London and Kent and loves the challenges and experiences dispensing in a new location brings. She enjoys working with new colleagues and meeting the characters and patients in each practice. Lynne also represents ABDO in her LOC, raising issues that concern DOs across the region.

Lynne says, “ABDO has made great progress with promoting DOs in recent years. I would like to continue the work, building on the success of accredited CLOs who are now able to provide MECS in some, but not all regions. I am looking forward to working with the ABDO members in my area, along with the regional team to bring cohesion.”

Pauline Bradford, FBDO CL, FBCLA, AFHEA, will be looking after the South West of England. Pauline has been a contact lens optician (CLO) for over 30 years and brings a wide range of experience in the industry, ranging from practice ownership to university lecturing and contact lens related professional services roles.

Specialty contact lens fitting is her main area of interest and she presently works in this field for a manufacturer. Pauline still finds the time to do regular days in practice and is a contact lens practical examiner for ABDO examinations.

Pauline says, “I am excited to have this opportunity to support ABDO members in the South West and looking forward to working with ABDO in these interesting times. ABDO has been a wonderful support for me throughout my career and I am honoured to have the opportunity to contribute my energy and skills to return that support.”

The ABDO regional leads play a vital role within the clinical and policy team, helping to deliver the organisation’s strategy around the evolving roles of dispensing opticians in UK practices.

They also contribute to the ongoing development and support of members throughout every stage of their careers. By offering a local point of contact, regional leads are uniquely positioned to understand and respond to the needs of members across different localities and nations, ensuring tailored support and guidance where it’s needed most.

Commenting on the appointments, Max Halford, ABDO clinical and policy director, said, “We are delighted to welcome Pauline and Lynne to the Regional Lead team and know that their experience and support will help ABDO members across London and the South of England.

“We encourage members to reach out directly to them for any help or guidance they need and we look forward to sharing further details of the regional lead teams work in future updates.”