Britain’s friendliest, and least friendly, cities revealed… so where does YOURS rank?

YORK has been ranked Britain's city with the best community spirit - but Wolverhampton has the worst.

Hull was voted the second most neighbourly city, just in front of Belfast, Derby, Plymouth, Wrexham, Newcastle, Swansea, Cardiff and Glasgow.

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But for those cities that are least friendly, Wolverhampton was followed by Portsmouth, Preston, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Southampton, Cambridge, Liverpool, Oxford and Lincoln.

Research which involved 4,000 people revealed that over a third are not satisfied with the level of community spirit in their neighbourhood.

Those involved in the study also found that just half of Brits know their neighbour's name and only 29% say hello to them.

Bisto, which organised the research, teamed up with Dr Stephanie Alice Baker, lecturer in Sociology at City, University of London.

Their goal was to assess "social and civic attachments".

York communities were unveiled as the friendliest because 42% have a neighbour they could call for help if they lost a key.

This is compared to just 32% in Wolverhampton.

A quarter engage in social activities in their neighbourhood or check in and offer help to vulnerable neighbours, compared to 16% and 13% respectively in Wolverhampton.

One in four have invited a neighbour to their home for a meal in the last year, compared to just one in 10 in Wolverhampton.

Dr Stephanie Alice Baker said: "There's a significant body of literature in sociology that discusses the decline of community in the twentieth century.

"Arguments of this kind have been intensified by the proliferation of digital devices and social media platforms in the twenty-first century.

"Our findings suggest that technology is not solely responsible for a decline in community spirit. A series of social and cultural factors have contributed to people's lack of engagement in their community, including longer working hours, commute times and moving house frequently.

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"Trust and friendship is generated by repeated, meaningful social interactions. To increase community spirit, we can start by taking the time to get to know those around us and engaging with them on a regular basis by simply saying hello or sharing a meal together."

Organisers conducted the research ahead of Bisto Open Door Sunday which encourages neighbours to get together.

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Helen Touchais, Brand Director at Premier Foods, Bisto, said: "Whilst the research shows that community spirit across the UK is low, it is encouraging to see that many people want to improve it.

"We have been bringing families together around the table for over 100 years, and now we're encouraging communities to partake in Bisto Open Door Sunday to get to know their neighbours over some good food.

"You may discover new wonderful friends right on your door step or make a lonely neighbour smile. A small gesture of a meal invitation could make a significant difference to those around you and make your neighbourhood a happier, closer knit place to live."

If you are interested in hosting your own Open Door Sunday please visit    for more information, a downloadable invitation and further tips on how to improve your community spirit.