Are we ever prepared for the worst of winter?

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the East Kilbride News.

Winter wonderland or going snowhere? How did last week’s blizzards affect you and your daily routine?

Folk in East Kilbride and Avondale had to wrap up before clearing up after an icy blast covered the area in the white stuff.

That meant difficult driving conditions, treacherous commutes, blocked roads, abandoned cars and tricky walks from A to B.

You can see our coverage of last week’s whiteout on pages 4 and 5.

The authorities say they worked 24 hours a day to keep the region moving and, last Wednesday night, police told motorists to stay off the road altogether.

No matter the forecast or forewarning, it seems disruption and delays are par for the course when the temperatures plummet and snow falls.

Are we ever prepared for the worst of winter? Once again it comes down to a matter of resources.

It’s all very well telling people to stay at home and not go out unless they have to.

But what choice do we have? Going to work is a necessity.

Taking the kids to school and nursery once confirmed that they are open is a necessity.

Of course, the wicked weather wasn’t bad news for everyone.

The younger members of our community enjoyed getting stuck in whether that meant building snowmen or making good use of their sledges.

Our centre spread on pages 30 and 31 features a selection of pictures sent in by readers of kids enjoying themselves in the snow.

Elsewhere, you can find the latest on the winter NHS crisis on page 7 and check out page 16 for our £50 EK, East Kilbride gift card competition. Colin Paterson