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Headline: Oxford Revealed As The UK's Friendliest City In The Inaugural 'Thomas & Friends Friendship Index'

Caption: Thomas & Friends™, the hit preschool show that teaches children about the importance of friendship, has today (29 July) announced Oxford is to be ‘twinned’ with the Island of Sodor, the home of Thomas the Tank Engine, after it topped its newly created ‘Thomas & Friends Friendship Index’ as the UK’s friendliest city. Launched to mark International Friendship Day tomorrow (30 July), Thomas & Friends Friendship Index is the culmination of an in-depth study of 3,000 adults across the nations and ranks towns and cities according to the friendliness of its residents, with questions around kindness, encouragement and looking after others. Wrexham was narrowly pipped to top spot by the Oxfordshire city, while Gloucester and Aberdeen also scored highly to take third and fourth spots in the Thomas & Friends Friendship Index respectively. Created by Reverend W. Awdry, the Island of Sodor has been a pivotal setting for stories about Thomas the Tank Engine which are rooted in friendship and teamwork and have been adored by generations of families for more than 75 years. A twinning sign was unveiled at a special ceremony held this morning at Oxford train station attended by Sir Topham Hatt from the show and Councillor Mark Lygo, Lord Mayor of Oxford. To help it land the top spot, Oxford scored consistently high across all categories including most likely place for a friend to put in a good word to get you a job and giving others advice. Findings also show that Aberystwyth and Wrexham are home to those who will go out of their way for others, with locals scoring highest for such behaviour. North Wales was also the place to be if you’re looking for a compliment, with 55 per cent frequently handing out praise. Residents of Belfast were most committed to travelling the furthest to helping a friend in need, willing to travel over 61 miles to help with a flat tyre – eight miles further than the average. While the Friendship Index also revealed those from Aberdeen are the most likely to step in to help their friends avoid an embarrassing situation. Claudia Caron, UK marketing manager for Thomas & Friends, said: “The gift of friendship is truly wonderful and something we have proudly celebrated in Thomas & Friends for over 75 years, so we would like to offer a huge congratulations to Oxford for being the friendliest city in our very first Thomas & Friends Friendship Index. We are delighted to officially twin the city with the Island of Sodor, home of Thomas the Tank engine, in recognition of its incredible friendly status.” The Friendship Index research has been carried out globally and has today also named friendliest cities of Australia (Sydney), New Zealand (Auckland), Italy (Naples), Greece (Irakleion), Turkey (Izmir) and Poland (Kielce). Oxford joins these six other friendliest places to have topped the Thomas & Friends Friendship Index from around the world, to be given the honour of being twinned with the Island of Sodor. Councillor Mark Lygo, Lord Mayor of Oxford, said: “It’s great news that Oxford has been voted the friendliest city in the UK and I want to thank Thomas & Friends for confirming something that I think our residents have known for a long time. “Oxford is made up from many diverse communities all of which have benefitted from and added to the city’s long traditions of friendliness and inclusivity, which have proved so important, especially over the last 18 months. Indeed, Oxford has friends all over the world and we are proud of our international links, including twinning with Bonn, Grenoble, Leiden, Padua, Wroclaw, Perm, León, and Ramallah.” “Now, as we come out of lockdown, I want to encourage visitors to come and visit our vibrant, friendly city and experience all that it has to offer. A warm welcome awaits you.” The United Kingdom's most friendly cities according to the friendship index: 1. Oxford – 21.8 2. Wrexham – 21.5 3. Gloucester – 20.8 4. Aberdeen – 20.7 5. Worcester – 20.5 6. Aberystwyth – 20.4 7. Portsmouth – 19.7 8. London – 18.8 9. Coventry – 18.5 10. Swansea – 18.3 11. Brighton and Hove – 17.9 12. Edinburgh – 17.2 13. Belfast – 16.7 14. Manchester – 16.6 15. Wolverhampton – 16.5 16. Cardiff – 16.3 17. Southampton – 15.9 18. Sheffield – 15.9 19. Plymouth – 15.8 20. Bristol – 15.5

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PersonInImage: Sir Topham Hatt