“I love the sense of adventure here”

St Ives has been voted the happiest place to live in the UK.* Laura Evans, 33, who works in digital marketing (as well as being a part-time professional mermaid) explains why…

Growing up, I was desperate to move to a big city. I went to London, but it chewed me up and spat me out. I came back here to convalesce with my family and found myself falling in love with St Ives. It was summer and I started swimming in the sea. I saw tourists flocking to the town and it was a reminder that people come here because it’s so beautiful and there’s so much to do. It made me realise I’m very lucky.

We have stunning landscapes, walks, a sense of community and a great art scene. There’s something for everyone. Life here isn’t day-in day-out joy, but it’s hard not to be happy in such a gorgeous place.

I swim throughout the year. It makes you feel like you’ve achieved something every day. You don’t have to live by the sea – a few laps in the local pool has the same effect.

I occasionally dress up as a mermaid for fundraising and private events, which enables me to unleash my creativity. We all also pitch in with litter-picking here. It gets you outdoors and it’s an altruistic act that I’d recommend to anyone.

Growing up as a gay person,

I was nervous there was very limited visibility for LGBTQ+ people here. Cornwall can often be a step behind. But I’ve not had any problems. The main issue is the availability of housing. Those with second homes have overtaken the area, so being able to buy a place is really difficult, and in winter it’s often a ghost town.

But I love the sense of adventure and discovery here. There’s always somewhere to go, something to learn. The key to happiness is variety and being able to pursue what you love, and you can really do that here.