I was seven and remember it well. The snow was so high on the pavements and the roads (no traffic could get through) that the kids in our road made a maze - it was brilliant and the sides of the maze were taller than me! We ran out of gloves and used socks instead and it was so cold that Mum had to put coats on the bed as we had no extra blankets (remember those army blankets, brown and really itchy?). The insides of the bedroom windows were thick with ice and you could see your breath when you spoke! All our clothes in the bedroom were damp to the touch, and I used to stuff my uniform in the bed with me to keep it warm. I am sure that winter gave me a life-long dread of being cold, I have my heating on at the slightest drop in the outside temperature.
Our Welfare State. Is it broken?