Life in Derbyshire’s officially happiest town
IT might come as a bit of shock to its residents but a Derbyshire town has been voted one of the happiest places to live in Great Britain and topped the poll when it came to the East Midlands.
For those people we spoke to in Chesterfield on Wednesday, surprise is probably the right word to describe their reaction when we told them the news.
“It made me smile at first but the more I think about it, I’m happy enough here and I’ve been here most of my life and I think it’s not far off correct,” said John Tuck, who was out doing some shopping in the town centre.
He wasn’t the only one who agreed with the poll from estate agent Rightmove either. “I’ve got no complaints about it, everything seems okay around here, all the community and the services are here if you need them, people are OK,” said another shopper, who didn’t want to give his name.
What appeals, though, to those who either live in the Crooked Spire town or those who want to move there? Mr Tuck has his thoughts on that: “It’s so handy to get into the Peak District, good market, plenty of shops still open compared to places like Mansfield Park. It’s okay.”
One thing Derbyshire is famous for is the people telling it like it is and, as you would expect, not everyone agreed with the survey.
“It’s going down and down,” said Walter and Jane Greensmith after the Derby Telegraph interrupted their lunch.
Their view was that it used to be a “really beautiful place to live” but that it was now “getting a bit rough around the edges”.
They also thought that Covid had not helped, as people increasingly decided to stay at home.
Another shopper, who didn’t want to give his name, said he was “quite surprised” by the survey.
He said: “It doesn’t appear to be [the happiest place in the East Midlands], people are friendly but it’s very expensive to park your car, so nobody comes in, and there’s a lot of shops shut down now. It’s very empty, nothing to entice you into Chesterfield – why they think it’s the happiest place, no idea!”