Guernsey Press

A rare day out in the white stuff...

PUPILS and their parents made the most of their day off yesterday.

Published
Freddie enjoying the snow at Le Guet yesterday. (Pictures by Peter Frankland, 20767338)

Families dusted off their toboggans and took to the mini-slopes of Bunker Hill and Le Guet, often with pets in tow, for a rare day of wintry fun.

‘We found out at about 7am, the children go to the Vale School and I’m a teacher there,’ said Emma Dorrian.

‘It [snow] is lots of fun and they’re very excited about it.

‘We went to Lapland this year so they have seen snow but they didn’t really get to see it snowing on them. The dogs are loving it as well and now that the wind has dropped it’s really lovely.’

Siblings and cousins Daniel, Amy and Rosalie Joyce were out with their Mum Sue, who was happy the schools had all decided to close.

‘So they should, it only happens once in a blue moon. It’ll be fun for a few days before the roads start getting icier and shops can’t be restocked, which will change everything,’ she said.

Grandmother Carolyn Wild had taken her grandson Noah to play across the road from where he lived.

‘We’ve had these sledges in the shed for 15 years and never got to use them. Finally, I can use my ski outfit as well, it might look hideous but it’s warm. I was meant to be entertaining at the house today but I think I’ll have to cancel, we’ll go all over the common instead I think,’ she said.

Laura Bevis picked up five-year-old James Wilson from school with his younger brother Henry to go and play of sledges and make snowballs.

She said that James was only 10 months old when the last snow fell in 2013 and Henry had not been born so it was the first time they both had been able to experience it on island.

‘I went along at lunch so we could play in the snow. This morning they ran outside in pyjamas but school was still open so the eldest went and we picked him up at lunch.

‘We’re just going to stay out in it as much as possible as they don’t get it [snow] very often,’ she said.

Young adults Brandon Smale, Liam Vaudin and Thomas Ozanne spent some of their snow day making giant snowballs in 20 minutes and having snowball fights.

Nine-year-old Stella Whitmore and her friend Eliza Webster were having snowball fights in the park and making snow animals at home.

Eliza made a snow bunny at home by making a snowman base and adding grass and leaves to make the whiskers and ears. Stella’s father Alex said she had been trying to make skis by putting sticks under her boots.