Leicester is the largest city in the East Midlands with a population estimated at around 280,000. Leicester's economy is supported largely by engineering, which is a key industry for recruitment within the city.
As well as engineering, Leicester is also a stronghold for financial and business services, and Leicester is home to all of the major banks found within the UK such as Santander, RBS, Barclays and HSBC. Aviva also has one of its seven UK administrative hubs in Leicester.
Leicester has two Universities; the University of Leicester and the De Montfort University which attracts large numbers of students from around the UK. Leicester has a growing cosmopolitan and multicultural environment and this means there are a wealth of restaurants, bars, shops and entertainment venues within the city. Leicester also boasts one of the largest covered, outdoor markets in Europe, which was first given royal consent in 1229. Leicester's 'market corner' opened in 2011 with a wide variety of food and drink on sale.
Leicester has excellent transport links with the rest of the UK and is also connected to London St. Pancras's International Eurostar line, making it possible to travel from Leicester to Paris in as little as 4 hours 25, and to Brussels in just over 4 hours.
Leicester is steeped in history dating back to the Saxon era and there are many historical buildings of note in the city such as St Martin's Cathedral and the ruins of Leicester Castle. Many events take place in Leicester such as the largest Caribbean carnival outside of London and Britain's largest comedy festival.