In last year’s post about the annual changing of the clocks, we wrote:
“Even with the Vernal Equinox occurring last Tuesday, 20th March, last Saturday night’s snowfall all over the village made it difficult to realise that spring is here.”
This year, it feels like spring has been steadily creeping up on us since January, with the exception of one snowy weekend in February, perhaps. Bulbs, plants, flowering trees – all appeared earlier than expected, but welcome all the same.
So, officially, Daylight Saving Time starts when local standard time is about to reach
1:00:00, Sunday 31st March and clocks are turned forward one hour to
2:00:00, Sunday 31st March, local daylight time instead.
The moving of the clocks was first introduced during World War One by Germany and Austria, and then by the Allies, to save on coal usage. It was invented by George Vincent Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist in 1895, while British Businessman William Willett, is also credited with the idea as a way of getting up earlier and so having more daylight hours after work.
However, with Brexit on the horizon, it remains to be seen whether changes to daylight savings time plans in continental Europe will have any effect on the British clocks in the future. The European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, has been championing the change, saying: “Clock-changing must stop. Member states should themselves decide whether their citizens live in summer or winter time.”
Interesting times ahead?