Described as ‘the finest place in the universe’ by Clara Peggotty in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, Great Yarmouth’s coastal location holds the key to the town’s charm.
During the Napoleonic Wars, large vessels anchored offshore as the town served as a supply base for the Royal Navy.
Up until the 1980s, the Norfolk settlement operated as a fishing port. Distributing its product across the country, residents of Yarmouth traditionally prospered from the successful fisheries. Nowadays, the local economy supports an oil rig supply industry.
Amy Wyatt, optical manager at Asda Opticians describes Yarmouth as the sort of town where ‘the locals always say hello’. In particular, she explains how the area comes alive during the summer months when visitors call to enjoy attractions such as Britannia Pier and the Hippodrome.
Utilising two tests rooms and one pre-screening room, the optical manager treats a mix of patients and describes cataracts and glaucoma as the two most prevalent eye conditions in the area. According to Wyatt, recruiting staff is one of her biggest challenges.
For the Asda team, patient satisfaction is important; Wyatt is proud people hear about the store through word of mouth. ‘We try and do our best for all our customers as we want them to go away happy,’ she says.
David Tuthill of Coleman Opticians agrees Yarmouth is a friendly place to work. The dispensing optician director has worked in optics for 17 years and forms part of a small crew that engages with local projects.
‘We like to get involved with the community as much as we can. For example, we work with local businesses and charities to improve infrastructure and facilities,’ he says. Over the festive period, Tutihill manned a collection bucket to raise money for Norfolk children’s charity Break.
Serving a core clientele of 60-70-year-olds, the practice can boast a gold-medal-winning British Paralympic swimmer among its patients, with Jessica-Jane Applegate visiting.
‘By far, the biggest challenge we face is recruitment. The closest university is Cambridge, but people disappear off to London for a fraction of the wage they could earn in Norfolk,’ Tutihill admits.
Director of Crown Eyewear Wayne Hunter agrees that recruitment is one of the main problems. Located outside of town, Hunter explained: ‘We have a very good optician who has been with us for nearly 10 years, but finding a locum is very hard. Opticians based in the Cambridge and London areas just don’t want to travel.’
Who’s in town
Total: 9
Independents: 5
Multiples: 4
Average costs
The price of an eye exam in Great Yarmouth ranged from £19 to £35, producing an average cost of £26.50
Population (see pie chart)
Borough of Great Yarmouth population 99,164 (ONS 2017)
Community eye care
According to the Locsu Atlas Map of Optical Variation, Norfolk & Waveney Local Optical Committee has secured a contract for Great Yarmouth & Waveney CCG in Cataract Referral.
Health and affluence
- The average house in Great Yarmouth is £183,281 (Zoopla) compared with a UK average of £223,257 (Land Registry, 2017)
- Great Yarmouth has an average salary of £20,143 (PayScale, 2017)
- In 2015, there were 1,980 people living with diabetic retinopathy in the Borough of Great Yarmouth (RNIB Sight Loss Data Tool 2015)
- There were an estimated 1,190 people living with late stage age-related macular degeneration in 2016 (RNIB)
- It is estimated that, by 2025, there will be 1,620 people living with cataract in the Borough of Great Yarmouth
Fact file
* Norfolk has more than 650 medieval churches – the highest concentration in the world. St Nicholas's Church was once the largest parish church in the country.
* During the age of the Black Death, almost 70% of the town’s population perished. A Sainsbury’s supermarket now sits on the site of the old plague pit.
* Yarmouth has one of the best-preserved town walls in England. Originally built to protect the town from invaders and pirates, the 13th century structure is formed from local flints and beach pebbles. It took 111 years to build.
* Scroby Sands Wind Farm produces enough power to supply 41,000 households.
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