A study has found that being close to friends and family - and a strong sense of community - are among the things that keep people in Cumbria and south west Scotland smiling.

Nearly one third of people that took part in a survey conducted by The Cumberland Building Society (CBS) said that being close to the countryside also helps to put a smile on their face.

More than one-fifth of respondents said it was the sense of community across the north, while nearly a half said that it is being close to family and friends.

It comes after the building society, which has 34 branches across Cumbria, south west Scotland and north Lancashire, was ranked as having the happiest bank account customers in the UK by Fairer Finance.

Alex Windle, marketing director at CBS, said: "As part of our #GrinUpNorth campaign, we want to shine a light on the north west to highlight that there are plenty of reasons to be 'grin up north'.

"To prove that it is anything but grim, we felt our customers were best-placed to tell us exactly what they love about their local area - with the people and surrounding scenery coming out on top."

In recent years, both Allerdale and Copeland have been named in a list of the top 10 local authority areas where the happiest residents can be found.

The findings were based on house-price-to-income ratios and the life satisfaction index from the Office of National Statistics.

Miek Starkie, mayor of Copeland, says the area is still very much a happy place to live. "I live in St Bees and I grew up in Egremont.

"I've spent time working away but I've never moved away.

"The sense of community is still very much here and I think that's what appeals to people. It's also a safe place to live and I think that people recognise that.

"The house prices are also favourable compared to income and it means that people have more disposable income to spend and enjoy themselves as well.

"I think that Copeland is still very much a fantastic place to live."