An area of Lancashire is the happiest place in the whole of the UK.

That's according to the latest government measure of our wellbeing.

The Ribble Valley in Lancashire scored the highest when people rated how happy they were the previous day.

We asked why this might be and found that while the area is undoubtedly affluent - it regularly bucks the trend of Lancashire being deprived compared to the rest of the country - there is a sense of community that goes above that.

Katie Mather, a food and drink writer who lives in Clitheroe, said: "A recent article about Clitheroe as the happiest place in the country quoted a reason being: 'People here derive a great pleasure from living their lives, as opposed to gathering material possessions.'

"While I can't deny that living here is an immense pleasure in itself, the idea that the people of the Ribble Valley have risen to a zen-like state of higher being and anti-capitalist euphoria can be crushed immediately by taking a look at how many Range Rovers there are on Booths car park on any given Saturday. 

"It's always wonderful to read that the area you live in is appreciated, but the Ribble Valley is undeniably an affluent area, and that must help in our "happiest place" status.

"It's nice to be able to afford to eat and drink well. This makes people happy. However, I know our community is more than a privileged selection of well-off individuals.

"A quick search through any of our local Facebook groups shows our community is tight. We volunteer at our local charity shops and food bank, our library and our official Parkrun.

"We're also moved to regularly save our local amenities from closure -- our hourly direct route to Manchester, often touted as the main draw for moving here, was threatened several years ago, and restored by a local action group.

"Living in the Ribble Valley is a lifestyle choice for many people who can afford to commute from here to Manchester or Preston, but there are so, so many things that make Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley the brilliant place it is, and I'd like to stop focusing on how easy it is to get out of here and into the city as one of its main benefits."

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that people in the Ribble Valley gave a rating of 8.3 out of 10 in 2018/19.

The previous year was 8.1.

And it's not just in the Ribble Valley where happiness was improving.

Across the UK as a whole, there was a slight improvement in average happiness ratings from 7.5 to 7.6.

The government’s National Well-being Measures, which is based on a survey of around 150,000 participants across the UK, showed more good news for Lancashire.

Fylde was the area where people rated their satisfaction with most highly - with a score of 8.5 out of 10.

The UK average was 7.7, with people in Corby, Northamptonshire, the least likely to be satisfied with life, giving a score of 7.2.

Average life satisfaction has been on the increase since 2012/13 by 3.4 per cent in the UK.

Over the same long-term period, average anxiety ratings in the UK improved by 5.3 per cent, with the North West seeing the largest improvement at a staggering by 9.7 per cent at regional level.

Tourism Officer for Ribble Valley Borough Council, Tom Pridmore, said: "I'm delighted by the news but not surprised.

"I love working there and the environment and the people.

"I think it's the quality of the environment. We have beautiful countrysides and a great sense of community.

"We have a good community spirit.

"The people are proud of the area and the council takes pride in looking after the area.

"It's definitely a fantastic place for food, different shops and businesses.

"It's also very popular for weddings.

"As a tourism officer, we are very careful about tourism in the area.

"We definitely have great food and great countrysides."