Tag: cold weather

Children First urges families worried about bills in Edinburgh to call support line during cold snap

As Scotland faces a sharp drop in temperatures, national children’s charity, Children First, is encouraging families in Edinburgh who are struggling with the cost of living and keeping warm this January to reach out for help.

The charity warns that they are hearing every day from parents and carers that are struggling to make ends meet and provide basic essentials for their children.

Children First’s support line offers practical, emotional and financial help to families across Scotland 365 days a year.

The team saw the number of callers rise by close to 50 percent towards the end of 2025.They can help with benefit checks, budgeting advice, and accessing emergency support to ensure families stay warm and well this winter.

Simon McGowan, Assistant Director at Children First, said: “We want every parent and carer in Scotland to know they are not alone if they are worried about paying bills or keeping their children warm.

“Our friendly support line team is here to listen and provide expert advice to ensure families get the support they need. We understand how hard it can be trying to make ends meet and the pressure families are under.”

In 2024, Children First’s support line helped families secure close to £2.5 million in financial gains and deal with half a million pounds in debts to make them more manageable.

Kinship carer Tony* who is bringing up his two-year old granddaughter Cara* and had been struggling to make ends meet, got help with his finances from Children First’s support line.

He said: “It was only when Children First support line got involved that things started to get better. I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders, it’s such a relief.”

Parents and carers can contact the support line via webchat at www.childrenfirst.org.uk/supportline or call free on 08000 28 22 33.

The service is available seven days a week:

Monday to Friday: 9am–9pm
Weekends: 9am–12 noon.

For more information, visit www.childrenfirst.org.uk.

*Names have been changed to protect the anonymity of the family.

PDSA: Arctic blast warning

COLD WEATHER ADVICE FOR PETS

Winter can be a fun time for pets, but with forecasts of an ‘arctic blast’ on the way, PDSA experts are warning owners to keep our four-legged friends safe and warm in the wintry conditions. Pets can be at risk of hypothermia if they get too cold, but it’s also important to ensure they stay active during freezing temperatures. 

PDSA, the vet charity for pets in need, asked their Vet Nurse Nina Downing to put together her top tips on keeping our pets cosy and safe through the big freeze:

Dogs

  • Giving dogs their daily walks is important for their physical and mental health, even during the colder months. Try to do this during daylight hours if possible, and consider getting a good dog coat.
  • LED collars or high-vis leads are a good investment, to help keep both you and your pooch visible if you’re braving the dark nights and mornings.
  • If your dog gets wet while out, dry them off as soon as possible. If you drive your dogs to walks, then keeping a towel in the car is a good idea.
  • Check their paws after walks too, as snow can build up and form clumps on the fur between dogs’ toes, which can be painful. Salt and grit can also irritate their pads, so when they return from winter walks it’s a good idea to wash their paws in warm water. Keep the fur between their toes trimmed short, and you can even use some paw butter or pet-friendly skin cream which may prevent their pads becoming dry and sore.
  • Don’t leave dogs in cars – the inside temperature can quickly become as cold as the outside, even if you’ve just been driving with the heating on.
  • Never leave dogs locked outdoors, ensure they can always access shelter and warmth.
  • Watch out for ice, this can be slippery for them as well as us, and if it’s broken it can even cut their paws. Keep dogs off icy surfaces, and definitely keep them away from any frozen lakes and ponds.
  • If your dog is very young, elderly, skinny or poorly then they are at higher risk of hypothermia. They can’t control their body temperature well so need extra care to keep them warm. High risk pets should only go outside for short times in cold weather, and should be closely supervised. Give them extra bedding and consider getting a pet-safe heat mat.

Nina added: “It’s worth considering whether your dog would benefit from a good winter coat to keep them warm and dry.

“Pets that are young, old, unwell, or that have very thin fur, can all benefit from this extra protection. Make sure coats fit well and don’t restrict your dog’s movement.”

Cats

  • Make sure your cat has a warm, comfy bed, in a draught free area of the house. If possible, make sure this is raised off the floor – cats are often more comfortable when higher up and it will keep them out of the coldest draughts.
  • Never leave cats locked outdoors, ensure they can always access shelter and warmth.
  • If your cat prefers to stay indoors during very bad weather, help them stay active by providing toys and enrichment activities. This will ensure they don’t miss out on vital exercise. Also make sure they have a litter tray that’s kept clean, so they don’t have to go outside if they don’t want to.
  • If your cat prefers to spend time outside, make sure they can always come inside when they want to. Providing an alternative option, in case cat flaps get frozen shut or blocked by snow, is also a good idea.

Nina continued: “It’s really important that our pets stay active during the winter – don’t let them become a coach potato! This can be challenging when the weather is uninviting, but many dogs and cats still enjoy exploring the great outdoors even during the cold and the wet.”

She also has some advice for keeping smaller pets like rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets cosy in the cold weather:

Small pets

  • Bring hutches under shelter – a shed or car-free garage is ideal, to protect them from draughts, rain and snow. Pets that are used to living outdoors can find a centrally heated home a stark contrast, so a cooler room is better, if you bring them indoors. Make sure they have access to natural light and an exercise run.
  • Bulk up bedding – give small pets extra bedding during the winter, so they can snuggle right down to keep warm.
  • Provide protection – if there’s no option than to keep hutches outdoors, then drape a blanket or piece of carpet over the mesh door to keep out the worst of the weather. You could also use plastic sheeting, but make sure any covers don’t obstruct ventilation.
  • Don’t forget to check water bottles or bowls several times a day to make sure they’re not frozen.

For more advice from PDSA experts, go to PDSA’s website pdsa.org.uk/winterhealth

Help your workmates save money and stay warm this winter

Many of us have been working from home since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Research from June 2020 (PDF) showed most Scots felt their energy use increased during lockdown, and almost 60% of households were worried about their bills going up as a result.

As lockdown measures continue and cold weather means the heating is on for longer, you and your workmates might need some help to manage your energy costs while keeping warm at home.

Learn simple ways to stay warm at home

The good news is, we can help. As well as impartial advice to householders, we also offer fun and interactive online workshops for employers across Scotland.

Workshops are completely free and can be tailored to suit your workplace. And they’re a great way to connect with and support your colleagues, especially when many may be concerned about rising bills.

You and your workmates will pick up practical tips to reduce your bills and keep your home warm, like:

  • Getting to know your heating controls, so you can get the best out of your heating system and make your home more comfortable
  • Keeping the heat in by draught-proofing your home
  • Making sure you’re not wasting energy – just turning your appliances off instead of leaving them on standby could save you £30 a year
  • Finding out what support is available to help you make your home warmer and more energy efficient through energy saving home improvements

We’d love to help you and your colleagues stay warm this winter – email us to book your workshop. We also offer workshops on travelling sustainably (for essential journeys of course!), and saving water in partnership with Scottish Water. If getting everyone together for an online workshop will be tricky, our home energy e-learning is also full of useful advice on saving energy and money at home

Pick up tips to make the food shop go further

While we’re all cutting down on supermarket trips and many household budgets are getting tighter, it helps to make the food shop go further. Love Food Hate Waste workshops, delivered by Energy Saving Trust on behalf of Zero Waste Scotland, can help attendees save up to £437 a year by reducing food waste, through simple tips like: 

  • Menu planning, to make sure you don’t buy more than you use and don’t have to dash out for missing ingredients
  • Storing food correctly so it lasts longer
  • Using up leftovers and kitchen cupboard ingredients with crafty recipes

Interested? Get in touch to book a workshop.

Support for communities as well as workplaces

We also offer free online workshops for community groups on saving energy and water at home, travelling sustainably, and cutting food waste.

These are a great way to get your community group together remotely.

Find out more about our support for communities, and drop us an email if you’d like to book a workshop.

Dream of a white Christmas … but plan for a cold one

·         Many people in are Edinburgh hoping for a sprinkling of snow this festive season, but aren’t actually ready for extreme weather

·         Almost one third of people don’t check that their central heating is working ahead of the winter months

·         Almost three-quarters don’t insulate their pipes and one in 10 don’t know how to bleed a radiator

PrincesStSnow

With the clocks going back and the countdown to winter weather under way, new research has revealed that more than 50 per cent of people in Edinburgh are pinning their hopes on a white Christmas this year – but many are not really prepared for a cold snap.

The survey found one third of people don’t check their central heating is working before it’s time to turn it on, and almost half fail to get their boiler serviced ahead of winter, leaving them open to a potential Christmas disaster.

According to the research by Scottish Gas, 25 per cent of people in Scotland have had to endure a cold shower in the past five years and more than half have gone without heating for more than a day* because of a breakdown at home.

Scottish Gas engineers in Edinburgh are urging people to check their homes before the cold really sets in and get themselves snow-ready as temperatures are set to dip below four degrees.

Martin O’Neill, Customer Service Director at Scottish Gas, said: “Our top priority is to keep our customers’ homes and businesses warm, safe and working during the winter months. As the UK prepares for a cold snap, our engineers are on standby to help if anything goes wrong.”

Danny Stuart, a Scottish Gas engineer in Edinburgh, said: “Our top priority is to help keep our customers’ homes and businesses warm, safe and working during the winter months, and as the UK prepares for a cold snap, our engineers are already on standby if anything goes wrong.

“Simple things, like blocking draughts to stop heat escaping, or bleeding your radiators, can help keep your home warm, yet our research shows that very few people actually do them to prepare for the winter months. It’s things like this that can really make the difference in getting your home snow-ready, so everyone can focus on enjoying that white Christmas they’ve been hoping for!

“To avoid even bigger problems, getting your boiler serviced annually can help detect issues, so is really worth looking into now, before the winter weather takes hold.”

Last winter, Scottish Gas completed nearly 200,000 plumbing jobs, and with meteorologists predicting a cold snap this November, its engineers are expecting to visit more than 70,000 homes in the next week.

Getting snow-ready 

Scottish Gas engineers have some smart, simple advice on how to prepare homes and businesses for colder snaps and help protect against potential costly damage as a result of burst pipes, damaged water tanks or overflowing gutters. 

  1. Love your boiler: Check to make sure that your boiler is working properly before winter sets in. The older your boiler, the more inefficient it will be. If you have a pressure gauge, make sure the boiler is at the right pressure and top up as necessary.
  1. Wrap up your water tank and insulate hot water: The materials can be purchased from most DIY stores and help to conserve heat and save you money.
  1. Insulate your pipes: Burst pipes are a huge issue during winter months. To help prevent burst pipes, ensure all pipes are properly insulated by using lagging, which can be bought cheaply from most DIY shops.