SPECSAVERS GREENFORD optometrist director, Nawaz Haque, was delighted to assist Bryony Cleall, Tight Head Prop for the England Women’s Rugby team when she visited the store in May for a sight test.
Ms Cleall who was part of the recent England Women’s Rugby 6 Nations Grand Slam 2022 Championship winning team, making this Grand Slam her third title win;
has been inspiring other would be female rugby players since she started playing at the tender age of 6, at an after-school club with her twin sister, Poppy, who is also a professional rugby player.
Becoming enamoured with the game, and also been incredibly skilled and talented, Ms Cleall later spent short periods of time at Ellingham and Ringwood RFC, Salisbury RFC and the Bristol Bears before she went onto play for Saracen’s Women and her current club, Wasps.
Ms Cleall wears prescriptive glasses, although when she is playing rugby she prefers to wear contact lenses. A new customer to Specsavers Greenford, Ms Cleall likes to keep up to date with her sight test appointments, so that her eye sight is monitored, particularly as rugby is such a contact sport.
Specsavers Greenford optometrist director Nawaz Haque said; ‘We ensured that Bryony had the necessary tests to check that everything is in order, so we conducted a full refraction assessment, including binocular vision checks and fundus photography. Sight tests are essential as they check more than just a person’s vision. They give us a better understanding of general health, and eye health. It is so important that everyone keeps up to date with their appointments.’
Until 2019, Ms Cleall was the Director of Rugby at Harris City Academy, Crystal Palace, where she created the first girls state school Rugby Academy which is run in partnership with Saracens. Whilst playing with Saracen’s Women, Ms Cleall won two premiership titles before moving onto Wasps in 2021.
During the last three years Ms Cleall has been a full time professional rugby player and is currently training with the England team for the World Cup, due to take place in New Zealand in October 2022.
During her visit to Specsavers Greenford, Ms Cleall was assisted by Samirah Hassan, store manager, who has been with the store for a year, and Susan O’Donovan, optical assistant who has been a loyal team member for over eighteen years.
Ms O’Donovan helped Ms Cleall choose new lightweight Cathal frames fitted with thin light lenses, including UltraClear SuperClean coating which offer enhanced anti-reflection and a scratch resistant treatment. They are also water repellent, anti-static and smudge resistant helping them to stay cleaner and more dust free, which suits Mc Cleall’s lifestyle.
Delighted with her new spectacles Mc Cleall said; ‘My new glasses are so light, I hardly know I am wearing them! The store team and Nawaz have been really helpful, and I know that I receive a thorough check up, which is incredibly important to me.’
