# Happy List

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The ***Happy List*** is a list of 100 people in the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) "who give back, volunteer, and who make Britain a better balanced, happier country." In 2017, the list was reduced and has featured 50 people since then.[1] It was published annually in April by the *[Independent on Sunday](/source/Independent_on_Sunday)*, a British national Sunday [newspaper](/source/Newspaper), between 2008 until 2022. No further lists have been published since 2022.[2]

The BBC welcomed the first Happy List as "an [antidote](/source/Antidote)" to the *[Sunday Times Rich List](/source/Sunday_Times_Rich_List)*, a longer-standing institution, which is published on the same day.[3] Following widespread comment in the UK and abroad, the *Independent* announced a week later that it would make the Happy List an annual fixture.[4] The *[Wall Street Journal](/source/Wall_Street_Journal)* floated the idea of a Happy List for the United States,[5] but this was not taken up.[4]

The newspaper accepts that the list is an artificial exercise, but seeks to celebrate people representing much-needed [values](/source/Value_(personal_and_cultural)), in the hope that they will be seen as [role models](/source/Role_model).[6]

## The first Happy List

The first list included [Tim Berners-Lee](/source/Tim_Berners-Lee), the inventor of the [World Wide Web](/source/World_Wide_Web), cricketer and fundraiser [Ian Botham](/source/Ian_Botham), and author and philanthropist [J. K. Rowling](/source/J._K._Rowling).[3]

Notably, the first happy list also included the character Tinky Winky from *[Teletubbies](/source/Teletubbies)*, a popular British children's show.

The *Wall Street Journal* noted that the list included wealthy individuals such as [Duncan Bannatyne](/source/Duncan_Bannatyne), quoting his opinion that "Britain's rich don't do enough for good causes."[5]

It also included ten less well-known people, who had featured in [Gordon Brown](/source/Gordon_Brown)'s 2007 book, co-authored with [Community Links](/source/Community_Links), with a somewhat similar aim, *[Britain's Everyday Heroes](/source/Britain's_Everyday_Heroes)*.[7]

## Selection criteria

The Happy List 2010 was published as a supplement in the *Independent on Sunday* on 25 April 2010.[8] The selection reflected the newspaper's own research, nominations from the public, and recommendations from national organisations, including [Heritage Lottery Fund](/source/Heritage_Lottery_Fund), [Barnardo's](/source/Barnardo's), [Christian Aid](/source/Christian_Aid), [National Trust](/source/National_Trust_for_Places_of_Historic_Interest_or_Natural_Beauty), [Save the Children](/source/Save_the_Children), [NCVO](/source/National_Council_for_Voluntary_Organisations) and [Amnesty International](/source/Amnesty_International). The compilers took care to include some people working only at a local level, as representative examples of [volunteers](/source/Volunteering) around the country.

They avoided repeating people from previous years' lists unless they had made an exceptional contribution in the preceding 12 months.[9] [Camila Batmanghelidjh](/source/Camila_Batmanghelidjh) was included in 2008 and 2009. [Peter Kay](/source/Peter_Kay) made the list in 2009 as "simply Britain's best comedian",[6] and again in 2010 for also raising funds for [Children in Need](/source/Children_in_Need).

As it would be invidious to attempt to [rank](/source/Ranking) the individuals, the lists are generally presented alphabetically.[6] However, six exceptional individuals headed the 2010 list: [Heather Brooke](/source/Heather_Brooke), who broke the [MPs' expenses scandal](/source/United_Kingdom_Parliamentary_expenses_scandal); [Brian Cox](/source/Brian_Cox_(physicist)) for making science "[cool](/source/Cool_(aesthetic))"; [Kate Humble](/source/Kate_Humble), wildlife enthusiast; playwright [Kwame Kwei-Armah](/source/Kwame_Kwei-Armah), bringing wider attention to [Britain's black community](/source/Black_British); [Jasvinder Sanghera](/source/Jasvinder_Sanghera), campaigner against [forced marriage](/source/Forced_marriage); and Archbishop [John Sentamu](/source/John_Sentamu), "thoughtful and provocative contributor to national debate".[8]

The 100 in 2010 were not all adults, but include duos, a child, a [Royal National Lifeboat Institution](/source/Royal_National_Lifeboat_Institution) team and a few other organisations.[8] The 2008 list included fictional character [Tinky Winky](/source/Tinky_Winky), followed by [Thomas the Tank Engine](/source/Thomas_the_Tank_Engine) in 2009. The second list also included Simba, a [therapy dog](/source/Therapy_dog).[6]

## References

1. Kotecha, Nisha (June 26, 2017). ["The Independent unveils its Happy List 2017: The definitive list of people who make life better for others"](https://goodnewsshared.com/2017/06/26/independent-happy-list-2017/). *Good News Shared*. Retrieved 23 February 2024.

1. The Independent (30 August 2022). ["Happy List 2022"](https://www.independent.co.uk/happylist/happy-list-2022-inspirational-people-b2148029.html). *[Independent.co.uk](/source/Independent.co.uk)*

1. [UK's super-rich 'getting richer'](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7369452.stm), BBC News, 27 April 2008

1. [The IoS happy list will now be an annual fixture](https://web.archive.org/web/20080506014529/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list-will-now-be-an-annual-fixture-820870.html), *IoS*, 4 May 2008

1. [Should Rich Lists Be Replaced by Happy Lists?](https://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2008/04/28/should-rich-lists-be-replaced-by-happy-lists/tab/article/), "The Wealth Report", WSJ, 28 April 2008

1. ["The IoS Happy List 2009 - the 100"](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list-2009-the-100-1671055.html). *The Independent*. April 19, 2009. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220509/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list-2009-the-100-1671055.html) 2022-05-09 at the Wayback Machine.

1. [Independent on Sunday "Happy List"](http://www.community-links.org/linksuk/?p=28) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181410/http://www.community-links.org/linksuk/?p=28) 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Community Links, 28 April 2008

1. [The IoS Happy List 2010 - the 100](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-happy-list-2010--the-100-1953745.html), 25 April 2010

1. [The IoS Happy List 2010](https://web.archive.org/web/20100427014618/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-happy-list-2010-1953746.html), introductory article, *IoS*, 25 April 2010

## External links

- [The IoS Happy List 2008 - the 100](https://web.archive.org/web/20090422160042/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list-2008--the-100-816335.html)
- [The IoS Happy List 2009 - the 100](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-iiosi-happy-list-2009--the-100-1671055.html)
- [The IoS Happy List 2010 - the 100](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-happy-list-2010--the-100-1953745.html)
- [The IoS Happy List 2011 - the 100](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-happy-list-2011--the-100-2280696.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Happy List](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_List) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_List?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.