Brrr! Let’s look after each other

AS FREEZING weather continues to blow in from Russia and Siberia, it’s time to keep a close eye on any vulnerable friends, neighbours and family members.

The chilly Beast From the East, as the front has been named, could make it feel bitterly cold today.

So if there’s someone you know who is not very mobile or perhaps has a heart or lung condition, now’s the time to see if you can help them out, perhaps by picking up prescriptions or shopping for them.

Dr Thomas Waite, of Public Health England, says: ‘ There are several things we can do to keep well. Wear several thin layers instead of a few thicker ones, keep parts of the home you are using heated to at least 18c, and check the forecast.

‘If we keep a close eye out for each other, hopefully we’ll all be able to stay well this winter.’

Looking ahead, Met Office forecasters suggest it could be mid-March before we get milder and wetter weather, meaning a cold start to spring.

MEANWHILE, there’s another way to help those with heart conditions.

The British Heart Foundation has launched its DECHOX challenge — asking people to have a detox from chocolate during March and raise money through sponsorship for life-saving heart research.

Last year the challenge raised more than £1 million. Find out how to get invoved at bhf.org.uk/dechox.