A TOWN in Cheshire has been named as the best place to live in Britain.

Altrincham has beaten competition from all over the UK in The Sunday Times guide.

The survey states that the town is is the ultimate turnaround town. Its revitalised town centre is now a place to linger in to enjoy first-class food and drink, whereas less than a decade ago it was universally acknowledged as having the worst high street in Britain. The Market House, a lively market with an indoor food hall, a covered area for arts and crafts, and a play area, has been the biggest contributor to the town's upturn.

It is a town where family and community are at the heart of everything; everywhere welcomes children. It has the two best schools in the northwest, according to The Sunday Times Parent Power guide and the National Trust’s lovely Dunham Massey adds a well-scrubbed taste of the country.

And it is that same spirit which is knitting people together during a time of national emergency. A Facebook group set up days ago for volunteers to visit the sick and vulnerable has already had 3500 people offering to help.

The market is planning to do deliveries of essential groceries for people who can't leave the house. "We’re going to reinvent ourselves for the foreseeable future,” said Altrincham market boss Nick Jones, who runs Market House food hall. “Since we took over the market in 2013 it’s been an amazing force in the local community and that’s part of what makes living here so special. We desperately want to keep people’s spirits up during these uncertain times.”

The Sunday Times’s expert judges assess a wide range of factors, from schools, transport and broadband speed to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street to produce the definitive guide to the UK's finest locations to call home.

The judges have travelled thousands of miles around the UK, visiting the locations and talking to locals. They look for improving towns, villages or city centres, for attractive, well designed homes, and locations bursting with community spirit.

The guide also uses robust and exclusive statistics, including up-to-date house prices, provided by mortgage company Habito and TwentyCi.

Helen Davies, The Sunday Times home editor said, "Our advice is simple. Think about everything you love and everything you hate, then make sure you have access to the good things while minimising exposure to the bad ones. And we’re here to help. Today we champion 101 locations across the UK and crown one lucky winner."

Previous winners of the Best Places to Live in Britain title are: Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013); Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014); Newnham, Cambridge (2015); Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018) and Salisbury (2019).

View the guide at: sundaytimes.co.uk/bestplacestolive