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Reasons to be cheerful



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Published Date: 03 September 2008
Why does everyone in St Helens have a smile on their face?
It's because the town has just been voted one of the happiest places in the UK.

According to the Royal Geographical Society it has come 14th out 273 towns and cities in the happiness league.

Beating the likes of Liverpool, the Wirral, Sefton an
d Knowsley, it is the happiest place in Merseyside.

The investigation was conducted by geography experts Dr Dimitris Ballas and Dr Mark Tranmer and was presented at the British Geographers' annual conference last Wednesday (August 27).

Their team of researchers interviewed 5,000 households, asking them a range of questions which concentrated on their well-being and sense of self-worth.

Mayor John Beirne isn't surprised the town had come in the top 20.
He joked: "Well I thought the folk of St Helens were so happy because of my jokes!

"But seriously it is down to the communities in our town and the fact we are all so friendly.

"People know each other and they look out for each other and that's why we feel happy and secure. You often find that people stay in St Helens, bring their families up and it creates closer networks."

It is one of the first studies to concentrate on the location and the environment surrounding the areas. It does not take into account factors such as age, income, employment status, health and educational qualifications.

University of Sheffield's Dr Dimitris Ballas explained: "There really is something about the intrinsic nature of places which can influence happiness and wellbeing.

"The environment, lack of green spaces, air and noise pollution, all of these influence happiness."

* Is St Helens one of the happiest place in Great Britain? Have your say by commenting below.




The full article contains 296 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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  • Last Updated: 03 September 2008 7:58 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: St Helens
 
 

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