Why I love: Hardy northerners

The things I miss most about my Sunderland home now I live in London are the cold and the warmth. It's the feel of that wind coming in off the sea and it's the friendliness of the people. The two are probably related. People in the North-East have a hardiness and ebullience. The clichés about people walking around without coats in December are true – whatever the world throws at them, everyone is determined to have a good time. They genuinely wonder what's wrong if you don't fancy a treble at seven in the evening.

I consciously try not to be a professional Northerner, but living down South makes your identity stronger. Luckily it's cool to be regional these days; when I meet people now they're not quite as likely to do an impression of my "Noocastle" accent, thank God.

Lauren Laverne is an ambassador for the National Lottery's "Love UK" campaign (www.loveUK.org).