20 Aug Feeling hot, hot, hot…

“Feeling hot, hot, hot…”, as well as being a line from a song by The Merrymen, (and one that most of you of a certain age are now singing in your head), it is also how most of us are feeling right now. At least this was true at time of writing, by the time this gets printed next week, we will probably be shivering in our jumpers looking out at torrential rain…

We love to complain about the weather though, don’t we? We are either tired of being too hot or too cold, it either never stops raining or we desperately need it to rain more. I think one of the reasons that we spend so much time talking about the weather is that it is the perfect ‘small talk,’ something to say when you can’t think of anything else to say or you want to engage a stranger in conversation, and it works because we are all experiencing the same weather.

However, we are all different, some of us struggle with the heat, some of us feel the cold more easily. I have a friend who will be sitting in a jumper, while I am in a vest top fanning myself. But because we all handle the heat differently it is important that we look out for each other. I had an email today with some helpful tips on how to stay cool and I thought I would include them here. These are taken from the government website, which also includes more in-depth information on each of these suggestions:

• If you are going to do a physical activity (for example exercise or walking the dog), plan to do these during times of the day when it is cooler such as the early morning or the evening.
• Keep your home cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun.
• Drink plenty of fluids and limit your alcohol intake.
• Check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell, and if you are at higher risk, ask them to do the same for you.
• Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and what to do if you or someone else has them.
• Try to avoid direct sunlight, especially between 11am and 3pm when UV levels are highest.
• If you are going out during this time, cover up with suitable clothing, wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, seek shade, and apply sunscreen liberally and re-apply frequently.

To my mind the most important thing is just to be sensible and take it easy, don’t push yourself to get things done.

But that is not where I was going with this article, this was meant to be an article about looking out for your neighbours and friends. Do you have a neighbour you haven’t seen for a while? Go and knock on the door and ask if they are okay, offer to pick up their shopping when you are doing your own. If they need more help than you are able to offer then suggest that they contact the Torbay Community Helpline on 01803 446022, the team there have access to a large quantity of resources.

And finally, maybe you know someone in your community who is always looking out for and helping other people. Maybe you could nominate them for a Torbay Community Champion Award – the deadline for nominations is midnight, 6th September 2026. All the information on how to nominate someone can be found on the awards page, here on our website.

If you’d like to contact me, you can call me on 07548 704876 or email [email protected]