Survey ranks Stratford as the happiest place to live in UK

SAY it with a smile on your face: ‘Stratford is the happiest place to live in the UK’.

That’s according to one of those surveys which feels the need to rank and compare everywhere and give one town or city bragging rights over another.

Stratford finished top, so take that Harrogate (second) and Whitley Bay (third).

This latest league table of 70 places was put together by online store Furniturebox, which said it ranked areas on the beauty of the surroundings and green spaces, provision of good state schools and affordable housing, as well as access to quality pubs, restaurants, independent shops and cultural attractions.

Special mentions in the results of the survey, which involved 5,000 people, went to Stratford’s theatres and the Royal Shakespeare Company, King Edward VI School and Stratford Girls’ Grammar School and pubs, including the Dirty Duck, the Old Thatch Tavern and the Garrick.

A Furniturebox spokesperson said: “Stratford is the happiest place to live in the UK, narrowly beating Harrogate in second place. We all know about the Royal Shakespeare Company but Stratford is so much more than a cultural attraction - it is a thriving community flanked by the beautiful River Avon with independent shops and fantastic places to eat and drink, supported by some of the best state schools in the country.

“All 70 places on the list would have been worthy winners and show why the UK is such a wonderful place to live, loved by visitors from all over the world.

“Most of the locations in the top 70 are not the most affluent in their localities and have access to some affordable housing including Stratford which has a high proportion of social housing lettings. The survey shows that the happiest places are not defined by wealth but by the quality of life within them.”

The top 20 list:

1 Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire

2 Harrogate North Yorkshire

3 Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear

4 Amersham Buckinghamshire

5 Chester Cheshire

6 Falmouth Cornwall

7 Bromsgrove Worcestershire

8 Chepstow Monmouthshire

9 Woodbridge Suffolk

10 Bray Berkshire

11 Almondsbury Bristol

12 Aboyne Aberdeenshire

13 Malmesbury Wiltshire

14 Eynsham Oxfordshire

15 Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire

16 Bingley West Yorkshire

17 Shepperton Surrey

18 Folkestone Kent

19 Bishop’s Stortford Hertfordshire

20 Ampthill Bedfordshire