A NEW study of happiness in the UK shows where London's 32 boroughs rank according to the wellbeing of their residents.

Rightmove's Happy at Home index, now in its tenth year, asked over 21,000 people across Great Britain to say how they feel about where they live.

They gave a score on ten happiness factors including the place's community spirit, leisure activities and whether people are friendly and polite.

Overall, the 2021 results showed that one London borough was the second happiest place in the UK.

This was Richmond upon Thames, which ranked just below Hexham, a market town in Northumbria.

Kingston upon Thames came 54th in the national rankings - not quite as impressive.

But our borough was third in London, just behind Richmond and Bromley.

Nearby Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea rounded out the top five, while Barking and Dagenham came in last place.

The Rightmove study broke 'happiness at home' down into ten factors.

These were: whether people feel a sense of belonging; are people are friendly and polite; can I be myself; nature and green spaces; a real sense of community spirit; artistic and cultural activities; opportunities to develop skills; non-essential amenities e.g. restaurants, shops; essential local services e.g. doctors, schools; sports and recreational activities.

Of these factors, feeling a sense of belonging and being able to be yourself in your area were the most important for people to be happy where they live, the company said.

"Community spirit was even more important to people's happiness this year" Rightmove added.

In Kingston, there's plenty of community spirit thanks to organisations like the borough's charitable foundation, Love Kingston and The Community Brain.

Local businesses are also keen to help out, including our sponsors Holland Hahn & Wills - read more about their outreach in Kingston upon Thames newsletter.

Or get in touch to tell us about your community group or event - we'd love to hear from you.

Click here to read more about the Rightmove study.