Built on the banks of the River Don in the 1st century, Doncaster became a settlement town because of its Roman fort. It later served as a key strategic site during the English Civil War and subsequently developed into a prosperous trading town. Since then, and with waves of deindustrialisation in the 1980s, the town has seen much of its industry move abroad.
Antony Rigby, general manager at Bell Brothers Opticians, says ‘Doncaster is a typical Northern town, very nice but with a few problems. There are a lot of stores, but many are also boarded up and there is also a problem with rough sleepers unfortunately.’
Bell Brothers has been operating in and around Doncaster since 1931, making it ‘one of the oldest established businesses in Doncaster,’ says Rigby, who manages the three practices in Doncaster, Thorne and Rossington.
Last year, Rigby’s Doncaster practice relocated to new premises on a pedestrianised road in a better location. ‘It’s given us much more footfall,’ says Rigby. ‘More people now come into the store and browse, and it brings us into a much more commercial area.’
The new practice (pictured), which Rigby designed himself, has two testing rooms, retinal camera facilities, glazing capabilities and runs a dry eye clinic as the condition is becoming increasingly prevalent.
Leigh Ann Walton, practice manager at Scrivens Opticians and Hearing Care, says: ‘Doncaster has changed a lot in recent years. There are many new homes being built and more young people.’
Walton has worked at Scrivens for four years, but the practice has been in its current location for more than 10. It has two testing rooms and operates a hearing clinic once a week. Walton says it has a great customer base, with some families coming to the store for generations. ‘We have been seeing some people for 18 years and they now bring their children and grandchildren into the store.’
Her practice caters to all ages but mainly older people who they try to ‘build a relationship with’. Walton says both Jaeger and Caterpillar frames have been popular recently, and if customers want to shop online they can do so, ordering them into the store where they can ‘try before they buy’.
Scrivens also does a lot of work with the local college. It holds days where it ‘explains eye care to students, offering measures to counter heavy computer use, and even allow students to try different contact lenses. It offers a 15% student discount and a ‘buy one, get one half price’ deal for all.
Who’s in town
Total: 12
Independents: 7
Multiples: 5
Average costs
The price of an eye exam in Doncaster ranges from £5 to £30, producing an average cost of £24.85.
Population - see pie chart
306,397
Community eye care
According to the Locsu Atlas Map of Optical Variation, Doncaster Local Optical Committee has secured a contract with Doncaster CCG for Cataract Referral, OHT Monitoring, Stable Glaucoma Monitoring, Glaucoma Repeat Readings and Children’s Vision services.
Health and affluence
- The average house price in Doncaster is £154,760 (Zoopla), compared with the UK average of £226,756 (Land Registry, 2017).
- Doncaster has an average salary of £21,373 compared with a UK average of £27,271 (Payscale, 2018).
- The number of people living with severe sight loss in Doncaster is estimated to increase by 35.4% by 2030 (RNIB Sight Loss Data Tool).
- There are currently 12,940 people in Doncaster who are at risk of, or are living with, sight loss due to early stage AMD (RNIB).
Fact file
Doncaster market has been running for more than 500 years. Although it can be traced back to Roman times, Doncaster was officially granted the right to hold a weekly market by King Henry VII in 1505.
The world’s oldest goldfish, Tish, was won at a fair in Doncaster in 1956. He reached an age of 43 before dying.
When visiting Doncaster, Queen Victoria had a toilet privately built in MansionHouse for her to use during her stay there.
Kevin Keegan, double Ballon D’Or winner and ex-England manager, is from Armthorpe in Doncaster.
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