How a cuppa (or a pint) can help you fit in

TAKING a parcel in for a neighbour, inviting them round for dinner and having a pint in the local pub are the best ways to settle into a new community, according to a study.

Researchers found that simply saying hello, having a cup of tea with neighbours or getting a dog are also sure-fire ways to get to know your locals.

Other tips include volunteering for a local community project, attending the school fete and putting your neighbour’s rubbish out when they’re away.

The study also identified the signs you have been accepted into a community, including bumping into someone you know every time you go out and receiving a Christmas card from a neighbour.

The research was commissioned by Making Local Woods Work, a woodland social enterprise partnership, to mark World Kindness Day today.

Of those surveyed, 40 per cent said it took up to six months to settle into a new community. Three-quarters said they had made an effort to integrate, and almost two-thirds believed community engagement was an important function of society.

Two in five said hectic lifestyles were to blame for not getting to know their neighbours better.