RESIDENTS in Southampton are amongst the top ten cities who spend five hours or less a week on hobbies.

The city came ninth in a study conducted by adult education college City Lit, with 29 percent of Brits who spend a limited time doing their favourite hobbies living in the region.

It was found that work and commuting were the biggest impacts on the UK's mental health and wellbeing, where residents are so overworked that cities do not spend enough time doing things they enjoy.

With the average full-time employee in Britain working 37.4 hours a week, Southampton residents spend less time on hobbies than Glasgow - and this could be down to more than seven in 10 people admitting that travelling to and from work every day has a negative impact on their mental health.

Chris Jones, director of Sales and Marketing at City Lit, said: “It’s unfortunate that long hours at work and lengthy commutes are resulting in many people being unable to invest time into enjoying themselves through an enriching and rewarding hobby. We’re urging people to make a special effort to carve some time out for themselves because it really can do wonders for your health and wellbeing.

“Lots of people don’t take up courses because they’re not sure what they will enjoy. We’re delighted to announce the launch of our Random Course Generator, in the hope that people can find something new and interesting to get stuck into. The right hobby can really help people to unwind from the daily stresses of a long working day or lengthy commute.

To use the generator, visit https://www.citylit.ac.uk/blog/prominent-personalities-could-personality-test-reveal-your-true-passion.