Look local: Full steam ahead in Darlington

Colloquially referred to as ‘Darlo’, the large market town of Darlington is a hallmark of the North East. The town steam-rolled into action in the 19th century when it laid the foundations of what was to become the world’s first steam powered permanent passenger railway. Ever since, Darlington has had strong links with manufacturing and engineering and although, like many English towns, trade has declined, it still remains a popular spot for business.

When optometrist Nigel Best is not hosting #eyehealthmatters live question and answer sessions at Twitter HQ in London, he runs the town’s Specsavers store. He says: ‘The practice has been here for 17 years. Darlington is not a place you see a large influx of people coming in, a lot of people are born here and tend to stay here. It’s nice as it means I see the same families coming in year after year, and do feel like a family optometrist.’