It’s cold out there – and going to get colder! The weather is forecast to become wintry over the coming days. I’ve put together some information on how to check if your child’s school is open; which local roads get salted;  tips for keeping warm (particularly the elderly) and helping (and help for) the homeless.

School Closures

Local schools will use their own web sites and sometimes social media like Twitter and Facebook to let parents know if they are close in bad weather. Many use email and text too. Parents can check with the school office if the school have your correct details.

If a school does close, don’t assume it will stay closed the next day once snow and ice is on the ground. Once main routes are cleared many schools will open so check the school web sites and other sources of information.

Salting/ Gritting Roads

Leicestershire County Council grit our roads. The map below shows which roads in Oadby will get gritted. Red routes are top priority, orange routes have second priority.

Salt doesn’t always work: if it rains, then the salt can get washed away; if there is little traffic, the salt can take longer to work; if there is too much traffic the gritters can’t get around as quickly; salt stops working at really low temperatures (below minus 10 degree C).

Yellow salt bins (funded by the Borough Council) are also sited in some streets but are for use on public roads and footpaths only. They are usually where there is a hill or sharp bend. Please be aware that during bad weather, Leicestershire prioritise clearing main routes and may not be able to re-stock salt bins until the weather improves.

If you are travelling in Leicester, the City Council grits roads. They have a map of routes on their web site.

Looking after vulnerable and elderly neighbours

For some elderly or vulnerable people across Oadby, spells of cold weather can be a difficult time.

Popping in to check on vulnerable neighbours or make time for elderly relatives and friends to make sure they are warm, happy and healthy can make a real difference.

Top tips for supporting older vulnerable neighbours, friends and relatives, include:

• Make sure they’re warm enough – the temperature in their home should be at least 18 degrees C, particularly if they are not mobile, have long term illness or are 65 or over and they may need to wear several layers of clothes to stay warm;
• Make sure they are well stocked up on food, drink and medicines that they may need;
• Try to make sure they have regular hot meals and drinks throughout the day;
• The NHS’s Stay Well web site has more information about keeping well during winter.

Homeless and Rough Sleeping

Homelessness has more than doubled since 2015 and very cold weather can mean ill health and even death for rough sleepers.

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council provides advice on housing options for homeless people and details of No second night out, providing temporary accommodation for rough sleepers.

There are several local charities that accept donations such as SHARP (Shelter) and One Roof.

If you do see someone rough sleeping in the cold, The Metro had an article yesterday about what you can do to help and how to contact the charity Streetlink.