Alice Fokuo is so friendly with her neighbour that they have exchanged keys to each other’s homes. The level of intimacy is such that “I call her mum, because she cooks for me”.
So the market trader was surprised to learn that her borough, Barking and Dagenham, ranked the least friendly in England in a new study drawing on government data from the community life survey. It measures how often people chat to neighbours, feelings of loneliness and belonging, local pride, and levels of participation in civic life in England’s 296 local authority areas.
“Everyone who passes says hello, children run to me and say ‘grandma’ and hug me. It’s amazing. I don’t know about other people, because everyone is different, but to me they’re nice,” she said. “I’m very happy. I belong here.”
