Four Greater Manchester areas have been named among the top 20 happiest places to live in the North West for 2024.
It’s all according to Rightmove’s annual ‘Happy at Home Index’ – which is now in its twelfth year.
In a bid to help property experts understand what really makes the residents of some areas happier than others, every year, leading property platform Rightmove asks people all across the UK to say what makes them happy about where they live and what makes it so special, as well as what things make a place feel like home.
The annual survey asks residents how they feel about their area based on 13 happiness factors – including things like the community spirit of a local area, having green space on the doorstep, or the sense of belonging in a local area.
More than 26,000 people living in towns, cities, and villages across the UK had their say this year, and based on the scores they gave their local areas, Rightmove has ranked the happiest places to live.
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A list of the top 25 areas within each geographical region of the UK have been released by Rightmove this month – with four Greater Manchester areas making the North West’s ranking – as well as list of the top 10 happiest places in the UK all together.
The Trafford town of Altrincham has been named the second happiest place to live in the North West, according to the ranking for 2024, while the towns and cities of Bury, Stockport, Salford, and Manchester all make the top 20 at sixth, ninth, sixteenth, and twentieth place, respectively.
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When looking at the bigger picture, the number one happiest place to live in the UK has been named as the London borough of Richmond upon Thames, with the city of Winchester in Hampshire taking second place, and Monmouth in Wales claiming the third spot.
Top 10 Happiest Places to Live in the UK
Richmond upon Thames
Winchesteter
Monmouth
Wokingham
Cirencester
Skipton
Hemel Hempstead
Kensington and Chelsea
St Ives
Hexham
Rightmove says the results of this year’s study showed that the most important contributors to happiness were feeling a sense of pride, belonging, and community within an area.
Access to green space and nature was also identified as being important to residents, with those living in a rural area near a national park, or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, more likely to feel happy where they live.
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2023 was also the first time Rightmove asked people whether they thought they might be happier if they moved to to somewhere else in the UK, and around one in three (30%) of residents who responded to the survey said they would be happier living in a different area.
And over half of those would consider moving to an entirely different region of the UK.
Featured Image – Super Straho (via Unsplash)
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Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Emily Sergeant -
13th December 2023 
