A report released this month condemned London’s local councils and Mayor Boris Johnson for their response to the severe snow storms that hit the capital earlier this year.
For over a week in February many parts of the country came to a standstill due to the heaviest snowfall in 20 years. In London all transportation was cancelled for a day which prevented many people from getting to work. It was estimated that the disruption cost the British economy over £1 billion.
How can you hate snow when you see this picture?
Bosses comparable to Scrooge refused to pay workers who couldn’t turn up, the government was criticised for not being prepared for extreme weather and the press seemed to be going crazy over country’s the lack of salt. Gordon Brown must have been estatic when the snow finally melted away as the last thing he needs is to be slated over yet another issue.
However, I was not part of the anti-snow mob. In my opinion snowflakes was just what the people who live in the capital needed. London is too much of a serious place and things have got a lot worse since the bite of the credit crunch. Most Londoners are stressed, always in a rush and rude. Eye-contact is never given. There is just a general lack of consideration for other people in the city. The myth that a Londoner would step over you if you were dying seems like the truth when you have been part of the rat race for a tube at 8am on a weekday morning.
But on 2nd February, London became a winter wonderland of childlike innocence. As I left my house that day I felt like I had been transported to another world. My neighbours who had never said a word to me in my life stopped to talk to me and strangers in the street smiled and said hello. The hostile traffic had been replaced by grown men and women chasing each other with snowballs. Nobody seemed worried or stressed out. The snow had covered the hussle and bussle of city life and replaced it with a care-free and friendly atmosphere.
I witnessed genuine acts of kindness that I had never seen in London before. Teenage boys helping an old lady across an icy road. A friend of mine could not make it into work, so him and his colleagues went and helped out at a homeless shelter. The snow also highlighted the important work of indivduals that are overlooked. The emergency services still responded to calls in the extreme and dangerous weather condition. The BBC followed the Meals on Wheels team who still delivered food in the heavy snow to all the elderly and disabled people who fully depend on their services.
Ok so I know I’m romanticising the day to an extent when the country lost £1 billion because of a bit of snow. But who cares really? Sometimes we all need escapism from our everyday hectic lives don’t we?
Here is one of the reason why I loved snow day. Random strangers all coming together to build a humongous snowman in Clapham Common. Childish maybe, but also magical. Snow needs to visit London more often. It made the city a more beautiful, awe-inspiring and most importantly, a friendlier place.
Helen's Blog 