Happiness list praises all those rich in spirit

Apr 28 2008 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post

Ken dodd

HAPPINESS, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess . . .

Or so says comic – and perhaps Merseyside’s greatest philosopher – Ken Dodd.

Ken, along with two other prominent Scousers, was yesterday featured in a list of the top 100 Britons who have done most to lift the happiness of the nation.

The Independent on Sunday (IoS) printed the list as an antidote to yesterday’s Sunday Times Rich List.

And the region can lay claim to three in that list as well. The Duke of Westminster is third, with Lady Grantchester – daughter of Sir John Moores – joint 60th, and scrap metal tycoon Phillip Sheppard 96.

The IoS included Tommy Callagher, the milkman fundraiser, and Steve Binns, the blind city historian and tour guide.

Artist Antony Gormley – the man behind Crosby beach’s Iron Men – and Michelle Lewis, a fundraiser who has collected in excess of a £1m for charities including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital despite her own disbility, were also featured.

In the Rich List the Duke of Westminster’s £7bn fortune meant his position was unchanged on last year’s.

He was pipped into third by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and Roman Abramovich. The Duke owns estates in Lancashire and Cheshire, and his Grosvenor group is also the firm behind the Liverpool One development.

Despite owning a gold milkfloat, Mr Callagher’s personal fortune didn’t reach the £40m threshold that would have seen him among the top 2,000 richest.

He was nonetheless thrilled with his spot in the IoS, telling the Liverpool Daily Post: “It’s just the way of life in Liverpool. Once you get involved, no-one lets you off the hook. But I’ve never been able to say no.

“I’m always doing something for someone.”

Tommy started volunteering when he was a boy by collecting jam jars for the RSPCA in the 1950s.

The milkman will retire when he turns 65 in five weeks.

He was included in the IoS list because he has raised more than £100,000 for the British Heart Foundation, among other charities.

Walton-based Tommy added: “I just enjoy what I do, believe me. I get my high when I’ve succeeded with a campaign.”

Steve Binns, 55, is a firm friend of Tommy’s and was given a Spirit of Liverpool award last May. He said he didn’t know he was in the happy list and said: “I’m completely shocked – I didn’t have a clue.”

Lady Grantchester is the 82-year-old matriarch of the family whose £1.2bn fortune was amassed from the Littlewoods pools and retail business.

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