Community warmth amid the U.K. snow

Whilst the U.K. has been quilted in a white blanket and public transport has been going haywire, community spirit seems to have increased bringing some warmth during the sub zero temperatures.

Dog-walkers passing by comment on how bad the roads are, neighbours digging together to clear driveways and people looking out for old ladies trapped inside are all rare sights I have witnessed this week during The Big Freeze in Manchester.

I experienced my own slice of community spirit earlier this week when it was my mum's birthday. Due to the treacherous road conditions no family or friends could come and visit her, and the meal we had planned out had to be cancelled. Poor old mum was moping around with only me for company, and a can of mushy peas in stock for her birthday tea.

But when the neighbours found out it was her birthday and she was stuck inside with no form of celebration, the women of the street gathered forces and raided their alcohol supplies turning up out of the blue at the door. Suddenly my mum was hosting an impromptu party, and we were surrounded by several neighbours of all ages. Coronation Street eat your heart out.

Ok, most of them had probably got fed-up of only having their own families as social contact for a week, but it was still a really kind gesture.

So to the residents of the Ave - thank you for saving my mum's birthday.

Making alcohol more expensive will not solve anything

According to news reports in The Independent, supermarkets charge less for a bottle of beer than they do for a bottle of water. A scathing report published yesterday by the Health Committee has announced that drinks prices in the U.K. are worryingly low. The report suggests 3,000 lives a year would be saved, if the minimum price of a unit of alcohol was 50p.

If this was to happen, I don't think it would make any difference to the binge drinking problems Britain suffers from. I think the regular punters on a Friday and Saturday night will still get obliterated on alcohol, regardless of the increase in price of their glass of vino or pint of lager.

In reality, it is Britain's attitude towards drinking that causes problems and not the cheapness of alcohol. Why is it in England there is an obsession for getting absolutely off your face? A feature on my university's website about Carnage in Sheffield exemplifies this.

In other countries alcohol is regarded in a completely different way. Take France for example. Children are introduced to drinking alcohol at a young age, and are brought up with a laid-back, all in moderation approach to alcohol. A night out is not a big deal in France, you may meet up for after work drinks and have a few glasses of alcohol, but nobody gets legless.

My Parisian friend Marion does not understand the 'living for the weekend' attitude we have in England, drinking is just something that might happen on a night out, but it is not the reason for going out. When I went out in Paris with a friend last year, we didn't understand why men passing us by would shout "English, English" at us, how could they tell? Because we were dressed up to the nines, making a big deal of going out and getting tipsy, which is just not the approach French people have towards alcohol.

If the price increase in alcohol does go ahead, I don't think we are going to be seeing sober streets in England anytime soon. The answer lies in teaching people moderation, and approaching alcohol with a far more laid-back perspective towards it than which we have.