Winter wellbeing in Cheshire East

It’s time to get ready for winter and this year the weather forecasters predict another very cold season. To keep everyone warm, well and safe we’ve put together some useful information to help you find the advice and help you need quickly.

• Stay Warm - keeping warm is essential to keeping healthy during winter
• Stay Well - advice, tips and information to help you to look after your health
• Stay Safe - how you can stay safe during the winter months and how to get help if you need it

We have created an essential guide for residents on how to look after their wellbeing this winter, which is available to download

• Your essential guide to wellbeing this winter (PDF, 5.3MB)

The booklet, produced in conjunction with council partners, is packed full of advice, information and sources of support on how to keep warm, stay well and safe this winter.

Residents can find information within the booklet on the councils stay well squad and the free health and wellbeing checks that they carry out as a quick MOT for your body, health, and wellbeing.

In addition to this the following also feature within the one-stop booklet:

• The latest news on Covid-19 and flu vaccines;
• How to tell the difference between Covid-19, the flu and a cold;
• What medicine cabinet essentials to stock up on this winter;
• How to stop the spread of winter bugs and viruses;
• General advice such as money tips, low-cost recipe ideas and ways to keep warm at home;
• Where to go for cost-of-living advice and support;
• Warm plaCEs – places locally to keep warm, access hot food and enjoy social activities in a supportive environment;
• And advice on how to look after your physical and mental health

Being a good winter neighbour

Winter weather can be fun for some, but sadly more people are at risk of illness and death during winter than at other time of the year and may need extra help from us all.

As the weather turns colder, spare a thought and a little time for your neighbours. Neighbours may need your help, especially if they are elderly, disabled or have a chronic illness.

Cold weather is especially dangerous for these groups - and symptoms don't just get worse during a cold spell, it can last for a few days afterwards.

Here are a few tips to being a good winter neighbour:

• check on elderly neighbours or relatives to make sure they are safe and well. A phone call or a knock at the door can make all the difference and can brighten their day - some people find being housebound very lonely
• make sure they have enough food and medicines to prevent them having to go out in very cold or icy weather
• give your telephone number to elderly neighbours so they can contact you for help if they are unwell or had a fall
• is their house warm enough? Living rooms should be heated to 21°C and bedrooms to 18°C. Contact the Care and Repair team for information about emergency heating and repairs
• keep drives and footpaths clear of snow and ice for your neighbours. Advice is available from the Gov.uk website

• always be on the lookout for signs that something might be wrong:

  • milk still out on the doorstep late in the day
  • newspapers and post stuck in the letterbox
  • curtains drawn during the day
  • lights on during the day
  • a home in darkness when there should be someone at home
  • a dog barking all day or the cat scratching to be let in
  • bins not put out on collection days

Concerned about someone you think is sleeping rough in your community. Let the Housing Options team know on 0300 123 5017 during office hours (Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm) or call 0300 123 5025 outside of these hours.

Plans for winter

We work closely with our partners in the health, voluntary and community sectors to ensure that agencies and communities are prepared for extreme weather.

The Winter Preparedness Plan (PDF, 259KB) provides a summary of how we, together with our partners, will respond in case of extreme weather.