Manchesterhas been named one of the seven happiest places in the UK to settle down and retire, according to new research.
Our city has claimed a fair few new titles in recent weeks.
First up, it was crowned the best UK city for retail and leisure in 2022, and it was also voted as the top rated city to replace London as the UK capital, and then, just last week, it was named by The Economist as the 28th most liveable city in the world in the ‘Global Liveability Index 2022’ – being the highest-rated UK city on the list, and beating out big hitters like Barcelona, New York city, and our own country’s capital in the process.
But it seems like the titles just won’t stop coming, as it’s now been revealed that Manchester is considered to be one of the top seven places in the UK for a happy retirement.
With more and more people now choosing to relocate after their careers draw to a close, the UK has seen a huge surge of demand for retirement homes over the last 12 months, and now, some new research from Lottie has analysed several lifestyle factors crucial later in life to determine where retirees should head to, the Metro reports.
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Lottie looked at factors such as the popularity of the area, affordability for day-to-day living, investment prospects, air pollution, and crime rates to determine the happiest retirement locations across the UK.
Manchester was named number six on the list.
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With Wiltshire taking the top spot as the happiest retirement location, and the majority of other locations on the list being sought-after rural locations, Manchester was selected as being the place for retirees to head to if they aren’t after “a slow life in the countryside”.
Manchester has been named one of the seven happiest places in the UK to retire / Credit: Unsplash (Josh Taylor | Chris Curry)
“With the perfect mix of a bustling city centre and leafy suburbs, Manchester is near the Peak District and Lake District, which is perfect if you fancy a bit of of time away from the city,” the research by Lottie explained.
The research also revealed that Manchester has the highest retirement affordability score in the top seven, which means you “won’t have to sacrifice price or location”.
“Our new research shows that locations offering a balance of affordability, community spirit and security are the happiest places to retire in the UK in 2022,” explained Nick Jones – head of retirement living at Lottie.
Top 7 Happiest Places to Retire in the UK
Wiltshire
Buckinghamshire
Dorset
Somerset
West Midlands
Manchester
Nottinghamshire
Manchester is the place for retirees if they aren’t after “a slow life in the countryside” / Credit: Fraser Cottrell (via Unsplash)
He continued: “There are lots of factors that determine the perfect retirement location, and this is different for us all.
“For example, locations popular with retiree’s offer great opportunities to socialise and build friendships later in life. Affordable locations can help make it easier to live comfortably on a fixed income, while good investment prospects can help your pension pot to go further – as we face a rising cost of living.
Despite a rocky opening month or so, Manchester’s Co-op Live made the ultimate instant recovery and has now been named the number one arena not just in the UK but all of Europe.
Manc music venues being best in class? Sounds about right.
Yes, even despite some obstacles, delays and early hiccups, Co-op Live‘s debut year as a live music and indoor entertainment venue has seen it beat out the likes of the long-established and iconic O2 in London to take the top spot.
The inaugural 12 months of the arena have not only seen it welcome all manner of music legends, as well as live sporting events such as the UFC and WWE, but the arena welcomed more visitors than any other venue across the continent during that time.
Names to have graced the industry-leading stage so far include Liam Gallagher, Stevie Nicks and Take That; Peter Kay, Elbow, Sabrina Carpenter, Paul McCartney, and so many more.
Commenting on the successful start, Tim Leiweke (CEO and chairman of the Oak View Groupbehind the venue) said: “Our ambition was to bring the world’s best music arena to one of the world’s greatest music cities and we are thrilled with the reaction from fans and artists alike over this past year.
“Co-op Live’s revolutionary acoustics investment has already attracted some of the world’s biggest artists and events to Manchester, with many more to come. And our sustainability commitment will ensure we remain responsible contributors to Manchester and the planet for years to come.
“We believe that amazing venues can transform cities for the better, and Co-op Live has done just that.”
It’s fair to say we’ve had some truly unforgettable nights in there already – and that’s just in the last month alone. Case and point:
With a continued commitment to achieving ‘Net Zero’ status too, the venue’s carbon reduction technologies, solar panels, heat pumps and rainwater harvesting, not to mention the recently refreshed CityLink walking in partnership with the Climate Pledge, are all things we can be proud of.
Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, went on to add: “We are delighted with the success of Co-op Live’s first year, and to see it taking the top spot off London.
“It shows Manchester is the home of live music in the UK, with Co-op Live bringing so many exclusives from artists like Bruce Springsteen to the city and Oasis playing massive hometown shows this summer – 2025 is going to be one of the biggest ever for our city’s music scene.”
Meanwhile, things are feeling less fortunate at the grassroots end of the spectrum, as the Music Venue Trust is imploring people to get behind a vulnerable Manc music institution.
A total of 25,000 free footballs are up for grabs this month as part of a new scheme from Barclays, who are giving them away to mark a special anniversary.
The British multinational universal bank, which boasts over 850 branches and more than 48 million customers worldwide, has been supporting the beautiful game for a quarter of a century now and has been the primary Premier League sponsor since the 2001/02 season.
Approaching 25 years helping fund and promote English football, they’ve come up with a new initiative to celebrate, simply called the ‘Lost Ball Project‘.
We’ve all seen scenes like these before.
Credit: Barclays (supplied)
Tapping into the national and generational memory of losing a ball to a pond, up a tree, over a fence or on a roof and so on, Barclays are making up for those heartbreaking little losses – one ball at a time.
Lost Ball will see the bank give away 25k footballs across the UK, with Barclays customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs.
Already up and running, the scheme is off to a flyer and free footies will be available until Thursday, 22 May, so we wouldn’t wait around.
The bank has played an integral role throughout the British football pyramid for decades now, sponsoring to only the Premier League but also the WSL, Barclays Women’s Championship; the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and the Scottish Women’s League One
They’ve even put together this emotive, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek video:
As they put it, the mission of the Lost Ball Project is simple: “Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.”
In addition to backing established leagues, they have continued to support the country’s footballing community at large, especially in terms of the women’s game.
For instance, the Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen the number of participating schools rise from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024, helping more than 2.5 million schoolgirls access football.
Important work done from the ground up.
Credit: Supplied
Barclays’ Group Head of Sponsorship, Tom Corbett, said in a statement: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years.
Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers’ ‘Lost Balls’ means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”
If you bank with the group, you can find out how to claim your free football HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
30th June 2022 
