How friendly is the place where you live? A new survey has ranked the friendliness of 296 places across England, looking at trust, connection and loneliness. The Isles of Scilly came top, while Barking in East London came bottom. Esther spoke to Barking resident, writer and actor Silvano Griffith about her hometown’s dubious accolade — before chatting to Andy Hawthorne, founder of The Message, for some practical tips on building stronger community.

Released on 28 Aug 2026