It’s great to share good news. Great. Take the other week. In what can only be described as a major feather in the cap, The Sunday Times declared the town of Thornbury to be one of the best places to live in the South West.

The winners of such a title, selected by the newspaper, were chosen on a range of factors that included transport links, education, property prices and cultural life. It shows that we value these things, that, when it comes down to it, we want to live in towns that provide the best.

But, the problem with towns being declared great places to live means people want to keep it that way. And by keeping it that way, I mean do not change a thing. Nothing. They want to keep it to themselves.

When things go well what it does is create an instinct to protect. That instinct is strong. It’s what drives us as a county to ensure we get funding when we need it. Take that to a national level and you get talk of ensuring that this isle, this British Isle where we live is protected from people who arrive here, looking for work, schools, a better life.

But that better life, that’s the point, or, to be more specific, sharing that better life. When people see a town, a county – a country – that is doing well, that could provide them with what they are looking for to be happy, they want to go there. And why not?

We all deserve to be happy. But the trouble is, people do not always want to share in their good fortune. Awards and accolades can bring out the worst in people, making them wrap their arms around what they have and not let go.

In Thornbury, there is a proposal for 300 new houses to be built in Morton Way. But some locals are saying this is inappropriate, that the new homes could spoil the prize-winning local beauty.

This attitude is a tad selfish. Instead of sharing their good fortune, residents are keeping it. Why? Why has it come down to not sharing a town’s success? Yes, we should protect our green belts. Yes, we should preserve the integrity of our towns.

But we should share in their successes too. Sharing is what we teach our children. Perhaps it’s time we taught it to the adults, too.