Travel The Globe, Barrow in Furness

It all came about when co-founder Claire Milby heard her son’s Chetwynde School needed a new football kit - she was happy to fund and sponsor it and their sporting sponsorship legacy has since extended to the Ulverston open-age rugby team and the Barrow Raiders rugby academy programme, among others.

Milby started Travel The Globe with friend Lisa Barnes using redundancy funds from agencies in the area and they’ve since taken on a further four staff, including Milby’s sister, Cheryl.

They are tucked away at the back of Stollers Furniture World – 120 years old and one of the largest single site furniture stores in the UK – which means they can’t rely on the passing trade expected by high-street agents.

Being open seven days that has served these hard-working owners well, with Sundays often the agency’s busiest day. And another beauty of their location is the well-known coffee shop next door - anyone waiting gets a free coffee and can browse the furniture store for a while.

The team thinks nothing of popping around to a customer’s house after-hours to help fill in their India visa forms, while local charity support has extended to sponsoring the Look Good Feel Better charity calendar for breast cancer awareness.

It’s the close-knit team that also shines here, with hugs goodbye shared at the end of each working day. And having listened out for what the girls would really like or need for Christmas, Milby and Barnes surprised them with wonderful gifts last year – such as GHD straighteners and Ted Baker handbags – over a dinner at Clarence House Hotel, “the Ritz of Dalton” nearby.