Brits have voted The Royal Wedding as their ‘Feel Good Moment of 2011’.
A study of 2,000 people into the uplifting events of the past twelve months found that Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton on April 29th was the country’s feel good moment of the year.
And second in the list were the miraculous scenes following the Earthquake in Istanbul as a new-born baby, cradled by its mother beneath the rubble, was lifted to safety by rescuers.
The research, which was commissioned by The Feel Good Drinks Company, also revealed the top films, television, sporting moments and songs that got the nation smiling in 2011.
The withdrawal of Britain’s troops from Iraq was the third best point in the year for a nation calling for the end of the conflict.
In the face of the riots in August, the public banded together, took to the streets and cleared up, and that instance of community spirit came in at number four.
While David Walliams battled illness and even rescued a dog as he swam along the Thames in September, raising more than a million pounds for Sport Relief and providing the country with its fifth most feel good moment of the year.
Indeed, the study shows the majority of Brits feel that overall, 2011 has been a great year.
Steve Cooper, co-founder and spokesman for Feel Good Drinks said: “There’s been a lot of doom and gloom around lately and it would be easy to miss all the great things that have happened.”
“However, the survey has shown there’s actually a lot of optimism out there and it just goes to show what a feel good bunch we Brits really are.”
“The Royal Wedding was understandably the feel good moment of 2011, with the kiss on the balcony and a certain bridesmaid’s dress being particularly memorable. It was a great opportunity to celebrate our tradition and heritage, it also proved once again that we know how to throw a good party.”
Not surprisingly, The Royal Wedding was one of the most fondly remembered television moments of the year, but it was the wonders of David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet captivating the country at number one.
While it was a good year for reality shows, with Strictly Come Dancing coming out ahead of I’m a Celebrity and The X Factor in the top five feel good TV programmes.
The big screen delivered its fair share of regal entertainment – Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, starring Oscar winner Colin Firth, dominated the results as the feel good movie of 2011.
While laugh-a-minute comedies The Inbetweeners and Hangover 2 show that male mischief gets us roaring in our cinema seats, there are giggles for the girls too as Bridesmaids creeps into the top five.
And it was the end of an era for many when Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 brought a close on ten magical years since the boy wizard first graced our screens.
In music, Lady Gaga got us embracing our differences while busting a dance move to ‘Born this way’ – voted the feel good tune of 2011.
Adele’s heartfelt album wowed the nation and the single ‘Rumour has it’ features at number two, while the Christmassy tones of Stacey Solomon proved the best way of warming us to the festive season, her cover of ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ takes third place.
The romantic beats of Rhianna featuring Calvin Harris made their mark as the catchy ‘We Found Love’ reached number four, while hit boy band, One Direction charmed respondents with ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ in at fifth.
For sport lovers, nothing equalled the dizzying highs of the England cricket team lifting The Ashes in Australia, while it was a good year for golfers, with Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke’s Open wins featuring high up.
Steve Cooper of Feel Good Drinks continued: “Our survey shows that we’re a pretty positive nation and that there has been loads of reasons to feel good this year and even more to look forward to in 2012. The survey also highlights the wonderful diversity of our nation, with Lady Gaga and David Attenborough providing some of the feel good headlines.”
The survey also demonstrated that it’s not just the moments we share as a nation that make us feel good. Indeed, more than a quarter of people picked their summer holiday as their personal feel-good moment of 2011, while a child’s birthday, promotion and a family wedding were other common highlights.
TOP FEEL GOOD MOMENTS
- The Royal Wedding
- Baby pulled from earthquake rubble
- British troops leaving Iraq
- Community clean up after riots
- David Walliams swims the Thames
TOP FEEL GOOD TV
- Frozen Planet
- Strictly Come Dancing
- The Royal Wedding
- I’m a Celebrity
- The X Factor
TOP FEEL GOOD FILM
- The King’s Speech
- The Inbetweeners
- Hangover 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
- Bridesmaids
TOP FEEL GOOD SONGS
- Born this way - Lady Gaga
- Rumour has it – Adele
- Driving home for Christmas – Stacey Solomon
- We found love – Rhianna ft. Calvin Harris
- What makes you beautiful - One Direction
TOP FEEL GOOD SPORTING EVENTS
- England win The Ashes in Australia
- Rory McIlroy wins the US Golf Open
- Darren Clarke wins the British Open
- Barcelona beat Man Utd in the Champions League Final
- Mo Farah wins gold in 5000m World Championships, Korea
TOP FEEL GOOD CELEBRITIES
- Ant & Dec
- Olly Murs
- Stephen Fry
- Kate Middleton
- Stacey Solomon
