Darren Aveyard BSc(Hons) MCOptom
Born and bred in Yorkshire and now having lived in Mirfield for the past 18 years the local area and community are high on his priority list.
After studying Optometry at the University of Bradford, qualified and became a Registered Optometrist in 1991.
For 2½ years he worked as a locum for numerous independent, small group practices and national optician chains learning the differences in running different types of Opticians practices, before opening his first Optical Practice in Beeston Road, Leeds in 1993.
A former Chairman of the Leeds Local Optical Committee, he has spoken to the Medical Profession about the role of the Optometrist in eye care for the public, and appeared on BBC Radio Leeds explaining the importance of regular eye examinations in the face of easy access to ready-made, off the shelf spectacles.
Professionally he has been nominated for the award of Optician of the Year by the Macular Disease Society, and his ethos is to provide the best of customer service and to educate his patients on eye care.
“Not knowing is the most difficult situation to deal with”
This phrase drives his desire to inform his patients and others about their personal eye care. He has spoken to Primary School Children in school assemblies about having an eye test, and spoken to students at Careers evenings about becoming an Optometrist.
His aim for D Aveyard Opticians is to ensure everyone working in the business understands his emphasis on patient care and provides the best care for each individual.
Away from work family life revolves around his wife Melissa, who previously worked in the business as a registered Dispensing Optician, and his three young sons where as you can imagine much time is spent taking them to their various clubs and activities.
His own passion is sport of any kind but with particular interest in football which he still plays in a non-competitive atmosphere now. This passion is now being passed on to the younger generation where he coaches junior football at Battyeford Sporting Club and is about to embark on achieving his FA coaching badge.
Work and leisure combine as D Aveyard Opticians have sponsored the sports kit for his local Primary School and the football shirts of Battyeford Girls Under 9s. Darren has also run the London Marathon twice in 2003 and 2013 in aid of RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) raising thousands of pounds in the process.