Birmingham Liverpool Manchester and Sheffield ranked close behind Leeds "The transitory balanced" were described as those having the best work-life balance and were mostly in the north."Party animals" were found to be city-dwellers whose sole professional motivation was to fund their social lives. Its status as an up-and-coming city was also supported earlier this year when it was hailed by the magazine,Conde Nast Traveller, as the best city in the UK. Where it used to be mostly students who moved to Leeds from the country's south, a growing number of professionals are choosing to move there in a bid to obtain a better quality of life.The study also looked at the traditional divide between the north and south of England in terms of motivations and life priorities. Many of them praised the entertainment available, but the advantages of theatres, restaurants and clubs were overridden by poor public services, such as transport, the report says.Leeds has changed beyond recognition from 20 years ago, with its booming real estate market, designer boutiques, smart restaurants, a thriving bar culture, a Harvey Nichols and a Selfridges. Fifty-five per cent of Londoners described their quality of life as excellent. The aim of the survey, Urban Behaviours by Henley Management College, was to gauge city-dwellers' quality of life across the country. Their views on issues such as public transport, retail and sporting facilities, cleanliness and entertainment, were used to determine the best place to live.The study found Leeds was the city with the highest percentage of residents who were happy; 65 per cent described their quality of life as "excellent" compared with 64 per cent of residents in Birmingham, 63 per cent in Liverpool and 59 per cent in Manchester London ranked the highest of cities in Britain's south. But in a stark reversal of stereotypes, London defied its traditional image as the most sophisticated city in the country by falling to sixth place.The study examined the professional and recreational practices of more than 1,000 residents of eight cities aged 15 to 35. Residents have been described as the happiest in the UK's cities, having obtained an enviably balanced quality of life, says a report published today.Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield ranked close behind Leeds. Leeds was once the living embodiment of the adage it is "grim up north", with its bleak, industrial wasteland and depressed economy. "It seems to me that many statues have been erected in London - the city he saved - to less deserving people.".
One idea, supported by the French foreign ministry, is that the Eurostar company should be persuaded to name one of its Paris-London high-speed trains after London's saviour. As the French rail operator SNCF is the leading shareholder in Eurostar and Hollard's network was helped by so many rail workers, this would be an appropriate choice.In any event, Lt-Gen Sir Brian Horrocks's words about Michel Hollard in his introduction to George Martelli's book remain as true today as they were in 1960. "There is so much talk these days of 'the Froggies' and how yellow and ungrateful we are supposed to be," he says. "I shall not die in peace until I feel that my father, and all the people who worked with him, some of whose names we will never know, are given their due recognition."Apart from his film projects, Jean-Pierre Richardot is pushing the British and French governments to find a suitable way to remember Hollard next year. Three months later, on 5 February 1944, Michel Hollard and three of his senior agents (including yet another railway official) were arrested at a bar near the Gare du Nord in Paris.Hollard's son Vincent, despite the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and other awards given to his father after the war, believes that the story of the Agir network has been unjustly neglected, especially in France. |
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