On a wet and misty morning, the rolling hills of Saddleworth Moor are just about visible from the stone cobbled streets of Uppermill.
Just a stone's throw away from the Peak District, and with an enviable choice of cafes, restaurants and independent shops, it's easy to see why it's such a desirable place to live.
You're several miles out from the borough town of Oldham here and the air feels less polluted. And, with an abundance of walking and routes, people who live here say the quality of life is "brilliant."
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It comes as little surprise to people living here that they have an increased average life expectancy of a decade, compared to those living elsewhere across the region.
Babies born in the OL3 postcode, which encapsulates much of Uppermill, as well as areas including Greenfield, Diggle and Dobcross, can expect to live on average for 85 years.
But that number drops drastically to 75 years for babies born just a few miles away in OL1 - which includes part of Chadderton, Royton and Shaw, according to new research by the Health Equals campaign - the lowest life expectancy of anywhere in Greater Manchester, and among the lowest in the country.
According to people who live in Uppermill, the quality of air, green spaces, and the support of the community are the main reasons why they believe residents here live longer.
Sarah and Godfrey have lived in the village for 50 years, and raised their children here. They say they wouldn't live anywhere else.
"We love the countryside and sense of community, there's a lot going on," says Sarah. She believes the area is becoming too popular with people from other areas, but Godfrey disagrees.
"I think it's lovely that people want to visit here and we should share this place with other people in Oldham," he said. "We have the luxury of living slightly outside the village."
They both agree that it's a lovely place to bring up a family. "We moved here as a young family and it was brilliant, there's a great quality of life," says Godfrey.
"There is also a strong church community here," says Sarah. "They meet regularly and do things together and support people. I think that might be why people live longer.
"When our children were younger they organised things like sports days. The schools in the area are good and our children have all done very well."
The couple say they aren't convinced the air quality is much better than other parts of Greater Manchester, but say people are always out exercising or walking their dogs.
Uppermill resident Jo left her life over 200 miles away in Essex, and moved to the village around a year ago. She and her partner fell in love with the area after they visited with friends they'd met on holiday from Dukinfield.
"It's a little gem, it puts Essex to shame," Jo says. "I should have been born around here. I think the hills make a huge difference to people's quality of life.
"You always see lots of elderly people walking around here, probably because they don't have much choice, so that might make a difference to people's life expectancy.
"It's lively but it's still got that lovely village feel and there's good restaurants and cafes now. I couldn't live somewhere like Essex now. I just hope it doesn't get too popular and too many people live here. At the moment it feels like a good mix."
David Pollit has lived in Uppermill for years, and describes the village as a 'lovely place to live' - especially when the sun is shining.
"The weather is awful, probably because we live in the hills, I'm sure it's worse here than the rest of Manchester," he says. "But on a nice day it's absolutely beautiful.
"I spend a lot of time at the gym, I go five times a week and there are a lot of older people who go so it's a bit of a social thing. There's also a library which I use a lot.
"The shopping is great. We have a big Tesco in Greenfield and there are lots of independent shops in Uppermill. I don't know exactly why people live longer here but it's a fairly affluent area and the air quality is probably better."
New mum, Poppy, lives in Royton but had planned a morning out to Uppermill for some 'fresh air.' She says she loves the village but the house prices are too expensive for her.
Properties in Uppermill had an overall average price of £305,916 over the last year, according to Rightmove. Detached houses sold for an average of £579,167 and semi-detached properties went for around £289,082.
"It's only about a 20 minute drive for me and the cafes are a lot nicer," says Poppy. "I'm not surprised people here live longer as you've got to have more money to live here."
Alan Wrigley will be turning 90 this summer, and after moving to the area recently, says he can see why people's life expectancy is improved here.
"It's nice and really busy," he says. "There is plenty of life here and places to go. It's a lovely place. I think the fresh air really helps.
"There's everything you need here, you don't need to go anywhere else and the people are smashing. They are so generous. I collect for the British Legion and people round here always put a lot of money in."
Health Equals also calculated life expectancies at a parliamentary consistency level, with a 13-year gap between the best and worst performing areas.
Blackpool South has the lowest of any constituency in the UK at 75 years. That’s followed by three other English constituencies at 76 years each - Leeds Central, Manchester Central, and Middlesbrough - as well as a host of places in Glasgow.
The Cities of London and Westminster constituency has the longest life expectancy of any at 88 years. That gives a gap of 13 years between the top and bottom areas.
Carrie Hume, Head of Health Equals said: "Our members are diverse but carry the same message. The size of the UK’s life expectancy gap is entirely preventable, but not enough attention is paid to how our health is shaped by our interactions with the world around us.
"We’re calling on politicians to take action, doing more to understand what shapes our health, and creating plans to improve our opportunities for good health."
John Godfrey, Director of Levelling Up, Legal & General added: "Life expectancy has stalled for the first time in 100 years — while for some areas of the UK, life expectancy is reversing.
"The UK is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and yet people are spending more time in poor health. It’s harming society, our economy and leading to lives needlessly cut short across the UK."
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