MP congratulates Crossbows Optical on continued growth

Carla Lockhart MP • June 14, 2022

Upper Bann Member of Parliament Carla Lockhart has visited Lurgan based Crossbows Optical, to engage with the management team and discuss the very positive role played by the company in growing Northern Ireland exports. Carla met with Managing Director, Patrick McColloum, and Technical Director Richard McRoberts, alongside Sales and Marketing Manager, Jonathan Bell.

Speaking after the visit, Carla Lockhart said:

 

“Crossbows Optical is a real success story for Lurgan, and indeed for Northern Ireland.

 

The company can trace its origins back to the Optical, built in 1947. That factory was originally built as a munitions factory for the war. Of course by 1947 the war was over, so the factory became part of a UK network producing glasses for distribution throughout the UK on the NHS.

 

From these origins, Crossbow Optical is now in the top 50 firms in Northern Ireland, and is exporting products right across the world. It was great to hear from the team how the company is experiencing ongoing growth, despite the hugely competitive market it operates in.

 

Crossbows Optical is synonymous with a quality product at a price point that is in the interests of the consumer. That is down to the workforce here in Lurgan, who continue to drive forward innovation and enhanced production methods.

 

I commend Patrick, Richard, Jonathan and the whole team here. The sense of collective pride in the product, and the company’s success, is really striking. I wish the company well for the future and will be watching their continued growth with interest.”

Share

By Carla Lockhart MP May 13, 2026
Carla Lockhart MP has called for urgent clarity and action from the Stormont Executive over the future of forestry support schemes, warning that unnecessary delays and post-Brexit trading barriers are undermining efforts to expand native woodland planting across Northern Ireland.
By Carla Lockhart MP May 13, 2026
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has responded to the Government’s proposed legislative programme outlined in the King’s Speech, describing it as “underwhelming, tone deaf and disconnected from the concerns of ordinary people across the United Kingdom.”
By Carla Lockhart MP May 12, 2026
DUP Agriculture spokesperson, Carla Lockhart MP, has hit out a PETA billboard erected in Lisburn ahead of this week’s Balmoral Show, describing it as another deeply misleading and insulting attack on Northern Ireland’s farming community.
By Carla Lockhart MP May 7, 2026
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has welcomed news that wool prices have hit a 10-year high.
By Carla Lockhart MP May 7, 2026
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has questioned the timing and motive of the NAP (2019) review carried out by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), warning that it risks ‘stoking the fire’ rather than delivering meaningful progress.
By Carla Lockhart MP May 6, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart, has praised the continued success of her monthly advice clinics across the constituency and encouraged local people to continue reaching out for support on the issues affecting them.
By Carla Lockhart MP May 5, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart, has warned that domiciliary care services across Northern Ireland have reached crisis point, with the situation in the Southern Trust area highlighting the growing pressure on the entire system.
By Carla Lockhart MP April 29, 2026
Carla Lockhart MP has reaffirmed her calls for the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) to continue taking urgent steps to restore public and industry confidence, following a number of deeply concerning and widely reported incidents.
By Carla Lockhart MP April 29, 2026
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has welcomed confirmation of a sharp rise in egg consumption across the UK, but warned that Northern Ireland’s dysfunctional planning system is preventing local producers from capitalising on this growing demand.
By Carla Lockhart MP April 29, 2026
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has welcomed Education Minister Paul Givan MLA’s announcement that the Lurgan College School Enhancement Project will now progress to construction stage, describing it as a major milestone for the school and wider community.