SO, what is it about Craven that makes it the happiest and least stressful place in the country to live? Lesley Tate puts the question to people who live and work in our beautiful part of the country.

A survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), between April, 2016, and March, this year, showed that residents of Craven rated their level of happiness at 8.3 out of ten - well above the national average of 7.5. For life satisfaction, they rated 8.5, against a national average of 7.7, and also rated the lowest for levels of anxiety.

So, what makes Craven such a happy and stress-free place to live for so many people? Craven is not the sunniest place to live in the country, no doubt if it was, there would be an awful lot more people wanting to live and visit here, but it does have outstanding schools, great communities, and crucially, some of the best countryside, right on our doorstep.

Skipton Mayor, Cllr Andrew Rankine, spent a large part of Thursday last week being interviewed and featured on ITV's Good Morning on Friday with presenter Alison Hammond. “I’ve always been happy living in Skipton and I’m even happier to learn of this latest accolade for our town and for the Craven Area," he says.

"It’s good to know that local people share the view that Skipton is a very special place to live and work. Skipton is friendly and vibrant with plenty going on – and there is no wonder that tens of thousands of tourists choose to visit us every year. Even if you’re having a bad day, you can look up and see the beautiful scenery that surrounds us and can be in the heart of our stunning countryside in just a matter of minutes. I’m very happy with that, and it looks like many others are too."

Sebastian Fattorini, as Lord of the Honour of Skipton, owner of Skipton Castle, sees thousands of visitors every year at the castle, one of the best preserved Medieval castles in the country, and still with a roof. It is the people of Craven that make it the happiest place in the UK, he says. "Everyone feels part of their community, because the communities are small enough; the people in the communities are proud of where they live, and they live in one of the most beautiful part of the country," he said. "The towns like Skipton have been blessed with more than their fair share of assets, from the Castle, the High Street, the canal, the woods, the market, the colleges, and schools. People love to share the beautiful places they live and work in with others which makes them proud and gives them a sense of place," he said. "It’s hard to nail it down. We all know the cake tastes great but we don’t know which of the numerous ingredients makes it so good. Probably all of them."

Jane Ellison-Bates, owner of Appletreewick based Manifest Marketing, knows a few things about promoting the best features of a place - or business.

"J B Priestly, buried in Hubberholme, had it about right when he said that in all his travels he’d never found anywhere to equal the dales," she says.

"For me, it’s the combination of the stunning and unique landscape - a certain shade of green, criss-crossed with drystone walls, limestone and shaggy looking sheep - along with a rather special breed of people who’ve been shaped by living here in Craven." Jane was 12 years old when she first visited Craven on holiday from the Midlands suburbs. "I vowed to live here one day. Since making it my home 27 years ago there’s never a day gone by when I’ve not felt truly blessed. From the die-hard born-and-bred locals who speak plainly and brook no nonsense, to the passionate offcumdens like me who simply fell in love with the place, there’s a shared sense of respect and honour in being surrounded by such natural - though understated – beauty."

Skipton Police Inspector, Geoff Crocker, is in charge of a district within North Yorkshire, which boasts the lowest crime rate in England. "I am really pleased but not really surprised to see that Craven has been identified as the happiest place to live in the country," he says. "Neighbourliness is key to being happy where you live and to reduce anxiety. In Craven people know each other, we still have great local communities and people pull together."

He adds: "It is much easier to deal with setting up an event or dealing with a conflict if you have the starting point of knowing the people you are dealing with. At institution level we have partners we can call and discuss problems on a person to person level and have worked with the same people for years this brings trust and confidence."

Skipton MP Julian Smith must be the envy of his Westminster colleagues after a large part of his constituency was named top for happiness and life satisfaction.

"We have a high rate of employment, all of our GPs are rated as good or outstanding and we have a range of excellent schools," he said.

"And then we have the Dales, an amazing mix of people living amongst the most beautiful landscapes in our country - innovative music and art – it all contributes to the rich and varied fabric of our community. This is fantastic news and I’m proud that Craven is the first English district to take the top spot since 2011 and congratulate all the many members of the community who make it such a great place to live."

Paul Shevlin, chief executive of Craven District Council, says he's very proud to live in Craven, and adds residents and businesses should too.

“It’s fantastic that Craven is officially the happiest place in the country - as you might expect, I’m very happy to hear this. We’re often recognised as one of the best places to live and this is hardly surprising when you look at our beautiful countryside, brilliant schools, amazing communities and our warm and friendly people."