HOLMES Chapel is one of the best places for families to live in England and Wales, according to a new study.

The village ranks 10th in the Family Hotspots report charting the top 20 locations for families to live in 2014.

The data, which has been compiled by finance specialist Family Investments, takes into account official statistics including Key Stage results, crime rates, Ofsted reports, house prices and average salaries.

Only two Cheshire towns or villages made the cut, Holmes Chapel and Sandbach, which has been part attributed to their proximity to the M6.

The Guardian asked Holmes Chapel teenager Bill Armstrong, who spearheaded the Save Saltersford Corner campaign, what he thought about the findings.

He said: “I think I can speak on behalf of the whole team and the wider community when I say we are delighted.

“Holmes Chapel is a charming village with wonderful character and these results help to show this.

“It must be added that we are a village for now and with any further development of the village we are short of becoming a town. This is something that no one would want to see happen and whilst the results are very pleasing we also have to look to maintaining them into the future.”

Education contributed greatly to Holmes Chapel’s success in the league table. The village achieved the highest Key Stage 2 average score in the table, with a score of 30.70 – 2.3 points above the national average.

The village also exceeded the national average for the percentage of Key Stage 4 pupils achieving A*-C grades by an impressive 20 per cent.

The percentage of child care facilities ranked outstanding by Ofsted soared above the 16 per cent national average at 45.5 per cent.

The crime rate is 60 per cent lower than the national average. It falls down in regards to three key areas; higher house prices, lower incomes and costly childcare.

Holmes Chapel Parish Cllr Steve Ranger welcomed the findings, in particular the education merits, but was concerned about its shortcomings.

He said: “The report highlights one issue that has prevented Holmes Chapel gaining an even higher ranking. House prices in the area are higher than average.

“There is a pressing need for more affordable housing in the area so that we can continue to offer young families the opportunity to live in Holmes Chapel and ensure that we can provide housing for our children and grandchildren as they start families of their own.”