Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think social media has been invaluable through the snow?

26 replies

k2p2k2tog · 02/03/2018 12:02

We were in the red area for snow in Central Scotland - we've had at least a foot.

The local Community facebook pages have been buzzing with people passing on informaiton about what roads are closed, what shops are open, offering lifts to people needing to make essential journeys - i think there was more traffic on the FB page yesterday than there has been in the last three months all put together.

It's been invaluable and restores your faith in humanity to know there are people out there willing to help and going out of their way for others.

OP posts:
kaytee87 · 02/03/2018 12:04

You're not wrong op, it's been heartwarming.

Original poster
k2p2k2tog · 02/03/2018 12:11

I know people love to slag off social media and proudly state they're not on it, but it's been brilliant.

(Still snowed in. Know via FB that the local Co-Op is expecting a delivery of milk soon. Preparing for trek in my wellies)

OP posts:
kaytee87 · 02/03/2018 12:13

You live near me op Grin the keystore on maxwell avenue also has bread and milk etc.

SluttyButty · 02/03/2018 12:15

Our residents fb group has been full of info and people offering to check on elderly, get shopping, donate something if someone can, dig people out of the snow etc.

Namechangetempissue · 02/03/2018 12:15

I agree, it has been fantastic round here. Lots of offers of support, organised groups tackling gritting/clearing and checking older people are ok.

jaseyraex · 02/03/2018 12:18

Completely agree. We're in the red area too and local FB pages have been great for updating on road conditions, people with 4x4's offering lifts to anyone who needs them or a run to a shop etc. We've all been on bread and milk watch this morning. No deliveries for the past few days so everyone was incredibly excited when the local shops got milk in Grin

NancyDonahue · 02/03/2018 12:19

Yes! Much the same here, there's a bit of war time spirit in an area that rarely sees snow. People with 4x4s have been offering lifts, offering to do shopping, collect prescriptions, keeping up to date with shops that are open and what they have in stock. A couple of plumbers have offered free visits to the elderly and vulnerable to check pipes and boilers. I love it, it warms the cockles ❤

BrownTurkey · 02/03/2018 12:21

Yes but its annoying that I flounced from my local page due to frustration with the negative people only last week, and I am too stubborn to rejoin yet, even though no one will care. But I really want to see all the updates 🤨

Ellybellyboo · 02/03/2018 12:22

Yes, ours have been fab too.

Lots of information about the roads, public transport, 4x4 drivers offering lifts for essential journeys, people doing shopping for others that are stuck

It’s usually just posts and posts of moaning about bad parking, potholes and how terrible the council are

HulaMelody · 02/03/2018 12:23

It has been great. I’m central Scotland too and it is so nice to see everyone helping out to get folk to and from hospitals for their shifts, PVG checked folk like social workers offering to check on older people in their areas, sharing details of road closures - it has helped people feel less isolated.
Although saying that I nearly got run over by a tractor earlier while taking a selfie in front of a 7ft snow drift....there’s always idiots about Grin

MissionItsPossible · 02/03/2018 12:32

@k2p2k2tog I'm one of those that slag off social media and don't use it so this is a great thread to read and hear the positive sides to it for me Smile

MrsJayy · 02/03/2018 12:34

It has been great for who has milk etc also been very funny first bus answering tweets have been v funny one said slippy road no buses it is THAT simple 😀

Marmite27 · 02/03/2018 12:37

Yes, our boiler went off this morning, due to shared posts on Facebook we tried defrosting the condensate pipe.

10 minutes later the boiler was working again.

Glumglowworm · 02/03/2018 12:46

YANBU

The twitter updates from the train and bus companies saved me a trek in the snow to discover that they were all cancelled. A manager from my work posted an update on fb before the official emergency line was updated. Colleagues sharing info with each other on fb about transport and road conditions.

And yes, I’ve seen lots of offers of 4x4 lifts for nhs workers, yesterday when things were less severe, I saw a taxi company offering to go get essential shopping, electric top ups etc for elderly or vulnerable people for no charge except the cost of the items.

PumpkinPie2016 · 02/03/2018 12:53

Yes, it's been great here too. Our local police have a page and have also been updating with the situation on roads etc.

BornInALighthouse · 02/03/2018 13:02

Yes great here. I joined Facebook again just to have quick access to it. The main local one seems to have increased it's followers by a few thousand in the last few days. It's been great for me as dp is a delivery driver in fairly rural areas and i've been able to relay info to him.

honeyroar · 02/03/2018 13:05

Yes I agree too. We're in the Pennines and had it pretty wild yesterday (it's still not nice today but at least not a white out). people were great keeping each other informed of roads closed and shops open. There were appeals to help stranded drivers stuck on the trans Pennine routes, and shared updates of when power was expected to come back on.

Unfortunately there have been a good few reports of idiots about removing road cones and signs at closed roads causing more chaos when they got stuck and other (innocent) drivers followed them because there were no signs.

Appuskidu · 02/03/2018 13:06

I absolutely agree, OP. The reports on local groups about road closures, snow drifts end accidents as well as school closures has been invaluable.

It did really piss me off though on a local (usually lovely) ‘look at old photos of the town’ Group where a bunch of older retired people appeared to sit (in their houses, not having to go to work) moaning that youngsters today don’t know what real hardship is, would never have survived in the snow of 63 and have no community spirit like they used to.

I really had to sit on my hands not to reply.

Things ARE different, yes-there are shed loads more people around now (so you probably don’t know as many of your neighbours), many families need dual incomes to pay hugeness mortgages, so there’s aren’t as many people (mums?!) around during the day, local shops have closed so you don’t see the same people as regularly etc

BUT

through Facebook, we have had local people offering to drive to their 4x4s to get health workers to hospital, farmers towing stranded cars home and using their tractors to clear roads, people offering to take coats etc to homeless shelters, letting people know which shops aren’t open and where they can buy shovels.

That IS community spirit!

MrPan · 02/03/2018 13:09

Yes it's fab to see footage and pictures of the lunancy associated with driving on icy and snowy roads DESPITE BEING WARNED to not do it, and then inconveniencing other people to have to come to your rescue.

Trouble is...even with looking at this evidence on social media, drivers still choose to get behind the wheel, and no-one denounces them for the plainly anti-social selfish behaviour it is.

Trampire · 02/03/2018 13:34

Fb has been great.

A local fb group has been offering all sorts. For instance, one man who has a land rover has been ferrying nhs workers to and from hospital.

Fab.

Welshmaenad · 02/03/2018 14:04

A very kind lady in my village brought me eggs this morning thanks to Facebook (I have mobility problems, can't get out in this snow and kids decided all they wanted was omelettes).

People have been ferrying carers, nurses and midwives in 4x4s and sharing supplies, getting essentials for those housebound and generally just being lovely.

Copperspot · 02/03/2018 14:13

I’m in yorkshire and our village / next town’s pages have been awesome! A lot of updates on weather / roads. When all the public transport / taxis were stopped people were posting and were inundated with people in 4x4s offering lifts very late into the night.

A group of lads in 4x4s went to the hospital to take nurses home at the end of their shift.

Lots of people having boiler issues posting, then people responding ‘my husband is a plumber thats off today, sending him over’

People were posting ‘who needs what in x street’ and swapping their food eg a loaf from someones freezer swapped for a spare 2pints of milk.
Lots of people checking on older residents too.

We really did all pull together. Social media is what you make it!

isittheholidaysyet · 02/03/2018 14:20

Definately.
Official news has missed us out.
Yes I know the big town is ok, and the main roads had crashed lorries blocking them, but my journey to school is to the small town on small roads. I had to rely on social media to find out that they were all blocked

derxa · 02/03/2018 14:24

Yes it's been great. But people are having fights about others' views on whether it's safe to travel on our local FB. Confused

BackforGood · 02/03/2018 15:23

Agree OP. We're not in a red area, but the localised traffic updates have been great, plus all the offers of people helping each other out.

I don't understand the mentality of stating proudly "I'm not on FB" there's so much rubbish on there. Fine, if its not for you, but you miss out on so much both useful, and helpful stuff too.

Swipe left for the next trending thread