Britain has a mild climate. It is in the temperate climatic(environments with moderate rainfall spread across the year) zone and the sea affects the weather. In general, this means that Britain gets cool, wet winters and warm, wet summers. The weather conditions are also very changeable.
Climate can change from place to place and from time to time. The British Isles experiences four seasons:
- Spring – March to May
- Summer – June to August
- Autumn – September to November
- Winter – December to February
Temperature and rainfall also vary between different parts of the British Isles.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a nutrient that forms part of a healthy balanced diet. The body makes vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors during spring and summer. From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight. During the autumn and winter, we cannot make vitamin D from sunlight.
People in the country are advised to take a supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 international units) of vitamin D a day to support general health and in particular bone and muscle health. This is because we cannot make vitamin D from sunlight at this time of year.
Vitamin D can be found in a small number of foods, but it is difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone. Food sources include:
- oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel
- red meat
- liver
- egg yolks
- fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
When do the clocks change?
In the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1 am on the last Sunday in March, and back 1 hour at 2 am on the last Sunday in October.
The period when the clocks are 1 hour ahead is called British Summer Time (BST). There’s more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings (sometimes called Daylight Saving Time).
When the clocks go back, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).