Listen: where’s your happy place?

What makes us happy? Is it seeing family and friends? Or perhaps something as simple as seeing our favourite sports team win? For many, happiness comes from the places we visit: the places that define what we like and ultimately who we are.

Over the last year, some of the most popular UK attractions and venues have been closed because of the global pandemic or out of our reach due to travel restrictions. A huge 81% of us have missed our ‘happy place’ during lockdown, whilst just under half (48%) have developed a greater appreciation of the UK’s visitor attractions, cultural sites, history, and art according to new research by The National Lottery.

But where are our happy places? London’s Kew Gardens (15%) came out top as the place most people would consider their ‘happy place’, followed by the Eden Project (13%), Snowdonia National Park (13%) and the Natural History Museum (12%). Stonehenge, The British Museum, Bath’s Roman Baths, ZSL London Zoo, and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park also feature in the top 10.

To celebrate the easing of restrictions and to get us back to our ‘happy places’, from Saturday 5 to Sunday 13 June, The National Lottery Open Week includes free entry and special offers at attractions and experiences across the UK, for anyone with a National Lottery ticket. And for those whose happy place is enjoying a film at the cinema, The National Lottery Cinema Weekend, in partnership with the BFI, will take place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 June at around 500 cinema sites across the UK.  Cinema Weekend will make over 200,000 free adult tickets available for any film screening across the weekend, as a thank you to National Lottery players for their vital contribution to film. 

Aston spoke to Ros Kerslake, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and head of The National Lottery Forum to discuss in more detail about getting back to the places that bring us joy.