Instead of a dreary and disappointing dusting of snow, a generous few centimetres covered the ground last Sunday. Unexpectedly, new avenues opened up, such as sledding, building snowmen, and making snow angels—not common occurrences in the south of England. People took full advantage of the powdery, soft snow. The change in weather also brought a change in mood for many, with one Surrey resident saying, ‘the snow brightened our day. Our children never usually like to go for walks, but the snow had them bursting with excitement to go outside.’
The snowfall provided people across London with a welcome distraction from the worries of COVID-19. With the capital being one of the worst affected areas of the UK, people have been shut up in their houses for weeks on end and only allowed to meet one other person outdoors. Last weekend, the mood improved. The novelty of snow and the excitement of change to the monotonous pattern of our lives of late was a much-needed boost to sagging spirits.