Why is Kirkcaldy the happiest place to live? Why not?

Kirkcaldy didn’t seek out the accolade. It came from a survey conducted by Right Move - and ten out of ten for their comms team getting it into every national newspaper and on to our TV screens. I trust they are getting a hefty bonus.

One response dominated the feedback. Why? Why on earth should this wee town in Fife even be considered as a happy place? I mean, what’s it ever done for the world?

Well apart from Adam Smith, Sanford Fleming, Raith Rovers, lino and the Links Market, Jackie Os, McDouall Stuart, Val McDermid, Jocky Wilson, Jack Vettriano, Gordon Brown, the bass player from Coldplay and the one in Bros who wasn’t one of the Goss twins (Craig Logan who forged a remarkable career representing some of the biggest names in music).

But this isn’t about the great and the good, and the institutions and organisations that have helped define Kirkcaldy, the happiness score came from people’s sense of belonging and community, alongside highly rated access to green spaces, local services and transport connections.

It was certainly hard to avoid the whiff of snobbery at the news that Kirkcaldy was a happier place than Perth, which finished second, or Dundee, in third. Grief, don’t we know our place?

I’ve no idea if the middle class folk of the Fair City spat their skinny lattes down their gilets or not - couldn’t really care less either - or whether Dundee is looking to close off the Tay Bridge and refuse us entry after losing out.

Instead of asking why Kirkcaldy was rated higher than them - and everywhere else in Scotland - maybe we should have been asking, why not?

It’s easy to point to the grimness of the town centre, and bemoan what we have lost. The past is always a cosier place when you see the harsh reality of how our town centre - like every other one - has been decimated by the shift to out of town and online shopping.

Celebrating a survey telling us Kirkcaldy is a more than decent place to stay doesn’t mean we ignore the grubby parts, the very real issue of tackling worryingly high poverty levels in parts of this town, and the urgent need to bring more jobs into the area.

But we do need to mute the negativity which infects every thread on social media, and re-read the reasons why Kirkcaldy scoffed so favourably - people’s sense of belonging and community are huge parts of our DNA.

You’ll find that running through many, many groups such as Growing Kirkcaldy to Linton Lane, to the YM and the huge 3G football project at Denend, from KAOS to KADS, and on to the team which has transformed Dunnikier Park. That’s just a snapshot too.

The people who contribute most to this town do so without ever turning the spotlight on themselves or looking to social media for validation.

They do what they do for the benefit of the town and everyone else. They have found their communities, and forged strong bonds without ever feeling the need to step upon a pedestal. It’s true the Lang Toun doesn’t shout about its achievements - I think that’s a Fife thing - but this is a town with much, much more going for it than the social media commentators would have you believe.

And if a wee survey from an estate agent brightens up the day and gives us a positive moment then, for pity’s sake, let us enjoy the spotlight.