The optometry firm now known as Geoff Steven and Sons was founded in 1946, when George Steven established the practice in Hexham, and operated on his own until his son Geoff qualified and joined him in Fore Street, Hexham in 1970. Early expansion took place with the addition of Ponteland, Haltwhistle and a number of other sites across Northumberland and Durham. Geoff was one of the inaugural participants in Vision Aid Overseas in 1985, travelling voluntarily to Tanzania to assist in free third world testing and provision of spectacles. A major move took place in 1993 with the acquisition of the expanded current head office premises in the high profile Market Square in Hexham. Geoff’s son Mark joined the practice in 2001. A structural review of the business took place subsequently, resulting in the current group of branches in Hexham, Haltwhistle, Ponteland. Geoff’s younger son, Christopher, joined his father and brother in 2006. In 2011 Geoff Steven and Sons combined with Mackley and Studdart in Ponteland which resulted in the present practice on the corner of the entrance to Waitrose car park.
