SMILE – you’ve just woken up in Macclesfield, the fifth happiest place in the United Kingdom.

Yes, the borough is officially part of the joyous elite, according to the results of a 17-year-long survey.

Our patch finished fifth out of 273 UK areas in a survey based on how happy people are with where they live.

Macclesfield Borough Council leader Frank Keegan was not surprised by the results of the study by the British Household Panel. He said: "We suspected it, without any firm evidence. People are quite happy here. We’ve got a low unemployment rate, good schools, health service, it’s a good place for families to settle. It doesn’t surprise us, but we’re very pleased with it."

But New Order drummer and Rainow resident Stephen Morris said: "I have lived in Macclesfield all my life and find it strange as it seems a bit depressing at the moment with all the shop closures. But on the other hand people have always seemed happy in day to day life. I don’t want to see just buildings and have to drive miles before I see a tree, so Macc is great in that you can always see a bit of green."

As well as looking at how people live and what they think of their well-being, the research looked for the first time at the importance of geography to produce a Happiness Map of the 273 District Council areas of England, Wales and Scotland.

Brian Innes, 78, and Sheila Innes, 73, live on Pembroke Road, the Weston.
Sheila said: "We have been based where we are for the last three years and love having the easy option of getting into town or the countryside."

Brian added: "I’m just happy to be alive. Some of us are born happy and some of us aren’t."

Karen McCormick, chief executive of the Cheshire Building Society, who lives in Mottram St Andrew, said: "Happiness comes from a sense of well-being and from us feeling secure and confident in what we set our minds to. A combination of employment opportunities in Macclesfield and people wanting to make a difference really helps – I have always loved living here."

Initially conducted by the British Household Panel Survey, researchers from the universities of Sheffield and Manchester then used information from it to draw up a map of happiness.

The study found that people who remained in the same place for five years tended to be happier, and being out of work doesn’t necessarily spell misery – as long as your neighbours are out of work as well.

Presented to the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers’ annual conference in London, Dr Dimitris Ballas from Sheffield University and Dr Mark Tranmer of Manchester University analysed findings from the UK Census and the British Household Panel Survey, which every year since 1991 has questioned more than 10,000 people in 5,500 households across the UK.

Dr Ballas said: "There really is something about the intrinsic nature of places which can influence happiness and well-being. The environment, lack of green spaces, air and noise pollution and crime rates all influence happiness."

Current statistics for the borough which may have helped Macclesfield include: Unemployment (December 2007) being 1.23 per cent per 1,865 of the population. Gross weekly pay (2007) per residence was £559.90 against a North West average of £432.70. And average life expectancy in December 2006 was 78.8 years for males and 82.5 years for females.

What makes you happy about Macclesfield? E-mail your thoughts to alex.bell@menwn.co.uk , or write to Readers Letters, 37 Chestergate, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6AL.