The Met Office's extremely rare red warning over soaring temperatures didn't put people off from enjoying all what one Nottingham park has to offer. Forecasters issued the 'danger to life' red warning for the first time ever, with highs of 37C predicted for the city on Monday, July 18.
It is expected to get even hotter on Tuesday (July 18) - but, if Monday was anything to go by, city parks will continue to be a hive of activity. This was the case on Monday at Highfields Park, which is managed by Nottingham City Council and is located next to the University of Nottingham's University Park campus.
Families and park-goers were all smiles as they tucked into ice creams and chilled out on the boating lake. Bestwood dad Jack Burley, 45, treated his children to some ice cream and a slushy.
Read More: More Notts schools close and councils prepare for 'extreme heat'
The electrician said: “I’m off work so bonus for me. It’s not been too bad, we got out early, had cold drinks, an ice cream and a slush. We got here earlier, there was no one around. Obviously with the heat it’s worried more people. People go abroad and they don’t stay in the hotel there do they?”
Medical students, 27-year-old Szimona Szoradova and 26-year-old Aminah Hussain, were both enjoying the hot weather on a paddle boat at the Highfields Boating Lake. Aminah compared making the most of the good weather to a cheap holiday.
She said: “It’s really hot but it’s nice - kind of feels like a cheap vacation. It’s refreshing, it’s nice being in the shade. It’s been awful being inside, the minute you go inside it’s humid and horrible.”
Others who were having a paddle on the lake were friends George Sprake, 18, and Lousia Johnson, 17. Mr Sprake, explained they were enjoying the weather at the park before going to work. "I’m going to get further out and put the paddles down and put the sun cream on.”
Deputy Manager at Highfields Boating Lake, Lee Morrison, 43, said that many people come to the lake when the weather gets hot. Mr Morrison said: “Every boat goes out, we usually have 500 people come here.
“Some days we don’t know where the ice cream queue ends and our begins - it’s so busy. A lot of people found us through covid, it was one of the places you can go outside with family.
“We are open until the first week of October. We open at 10.30 and the last hire is at six, expecting everyone off the boats by seven. People often bring their dogs, they have a picnic with their family. We are dog friendly.”
It comes after a string of schools across Nottinghamshire made the call to close on Monday and Tuesday, July 18 and 19 respectively, because of the hot weather. According to the Met Office, the heatwave will reach its peak in Nottingham at about 2pm on Tuesday with highs of 38C. However, there is some respite on Tuesday as well, with thunder storms predicted at 4pm, 9pm and 10pm, bringing the hot weather to a spectacular end.
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