Well it seems it may be here!! I have just had a sneaky look out of the window and we have a sprinkling of snow. Bolton's winter weather is officially here. I have to confess it still fills me with excitement when you look out of the window and see the white wonderland but i also have to admit that the joy of snow is soon overwhelmed by the stress of getting the children to school (if its open!) getting to work in the rush hour and as I am not a wellie girl at heart, carrying two pairs of shoes around!

Bolton this year have stock piled grit and have an action plan in place ready for any cold snap that may last longer than anticipated. With our temperatures recently getting down to -5 and -6 deg c, the gritters have been out in force with the council saying that despite any cuts, the gritting budget has not been affected.

Bolton Council are urging residents of the town to buy and stock pile their own grit to see them through the winter months with Council chiefs stating that the bins at the side of roads are for residential streets and not for private paths.

Bolton PCT along with Bolton Council are urging residents to stay warm and well this winter and have begun a campaign to educate the people of Bolton on how to stay warm and well when the winter months really take hold. 

Some simple tips for staying warm this winter from the direct.gov website

To keep warm at home during the day try to:

• heat your main living room to around 18-21°C (64-70°F) and the rest of the house at least 16°C (61°F)
• heat all the rooms you use in the day 
• make sure you keep your living room warm throughout the day and heat your bedroom before going to bed
• set the timer on your heating to come on before you get up and switch off when you go to bed
• in very cold weather set the heating to come on earlier, rather than turn the thermostat up, so you won’t be cold while you wait for your home to heat up

To keep warm at home during the night you should:

• try to keep the temperature above 18°C (65°F) in your bedroom overnight
• open the window or door a little at night for ventilation if you use a fire or heater in your bedroom during winter
• never use an electric blanket and a hot water bottle together as you could electrocute yourself
• check what type of electric blanket you have – some are designed only to warm the bed before you get in and should not to be used throughout the night
• make sure your electric blanket is safe to use by getting it tested every three years - the Fire Brigade, Trading Standards and Age UK can test your electric blanket for safety