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Be winter prepared

Published 2 November 2026

Our #BeWinterPrepared guide to services and advice from the council, as well as local and national organisations, to help during the winter months.

Stay connected and active: Winter activities and events   

There are plenty of opportunities to stay active and enjoy time with others this winter, with community walks, events, and activities taking place across South Oxfordshire. From local get togethers to performances and workshops, it’s a great way to keep moving and socialising through the colder months.  

  • See the Active Communities page to find local group walks and activities taking place near you, run by the Active Communities Team.  
  • Discover what’s happening across South Oxfordshire this winter at on the Southern Oxfordshire website.  
  • This winter, Cornerstone has plenty to offer. Join a class, watch a show, or drop into our cafés for something warm. There’s something for everyone.  
  • Keep active at your local leisure centre.

Keep warm. Keep well. Know where to find support.

Our Community Hub is here for you  

If you’re struggling financially or if you’re just finding life difficult, we can help. For practical support or just advice, get in touch:  Call our friendly Community Hub team on 01235 422600  
Email us communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk  
  
We’re open 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays.   

See our website for cost-of-living help and more including:  

  • free or affordable food support   
  • council tax support  
  • mental health and wellbeing guidance   

We can also signpost you to debt advice and other support.  

Warm spaces   

When you’re out and about, as temperatures drop, local libraries, leisure centres, and other organisations are providing a warm welcome to communities across South Oxfordshire. You can find your nearest warm welcome space on the Warm Welcome website.   

Our Leisure Centres are also open as Warm Spaces. Pop in and charge your phone, have a hot drink and chat with others.  You can also pop into the community centre in Didcot or Cornerstone Arts centre (why not have a browse in the gallery) to warm up.

Health advice for everyone – including those vulnerable to the cold  

The NHS has a dedicated page for winter health advice, including tips for keeping warm and well during cold weather. There is also a section on who is most at risk, which includes older people, young children, those with long-term health conditions, people on low incomes, and those with disabilities or mental health conditions. The page also includes information about getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to help protect you this winter.   

Supporting rough sleepers  

We actively work with people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, the whole year round. Every effort is made to help people move into long term accommodation.  

As an additional layer of support, we activate a severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) during extreme weather conditions such as flooding or freezing temperatures.   

SWEP is emergency accommodation for anyone experiencing rough sleeping – including people who have no right to claim benefits or housing in the UK or who have refused offers of accommodation and support.     

If you see someone sleeping rough, or you are homeless and in an emergency situation you can call our housing needs team on 01235 422 410, or go to Streetlink’s website. 

Preventing damp and mould  

Damp and mould can be a problem at this time of year with colder and wetter weather.  

See our damp and mould pages for some top tips on how to stop condensation building up in our homes and prevent mould growing. 

Energy saving advice for homes and businesses  

You could make changes to your home or work building to make it warmer and cheaper to heat. Ideas include:  

  • Insulating, roofs, walls and floors.  
  • Draughtproofing doors  
  • Replacing windows that let heat escape  
  • Installing renewable energy, eg solar panels  

As well as making your building cheaper to run, by avoiding wasted energy through heat loss, the measures can also reduce carbon emissions and contribute to tackling climate change.   Download the council’s energy saving information leaflet with lots of advice from local groups and information on where you can get financial help for these changes.  

Other sites for advice include the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Better Housing Better Health, the Energy Saving Trust and Low Carbon Hub.   

Be prepared for extreme weather   

Flooding

Preparing for flooding includes simple things that you can do to help keep you, your home, family and business safe and save you thousands of pounds in damages and disruption.  

Do you know which items to move to safety in a flood? You won’t have much time to prepare if it happens. Learn the simple steps you can take to ensure you keep the things you love safe.  

Visit the Environment Agency’s new ‘Flood Action Online’ hub a one stop shop for flood advice, with a focus to help people understand their home’s flood risk and take practical action to reduce this.

Here are top tips from the Environment Agency on how to prepare:  

There’s also more information available on the Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit website and on our flood advice pages.  

Emergencies

Emergencies such as power cuts can affect us all.

Are you emergency ready?

You can find simple and effective steps you can take to be more prepared on the government’s new ‘Be Ready’ website – with simple, updated guidance on how households can prepare for emergencies.

Here are a few simple things you could do now to prepare for emergencies: 

  • Pack a few essential items in your car boot to make sure you’re ready in case of getting stuck in wintry weather – this can include a torch, in-car phone charger, warm clothes and blankets, high-visibility clothing, jump leads, food and drink, and a shovel for snow. It can also be helpful to keep a first aid kit in your car.  
  • Put together an emergency kit of items at home: Battery or wind-up torch, spare batteries or power bank, a first aid kit (or some first aid items), hand sanitiser and wet wipes, bottled water.  
  • Stock up on a few extra essential items – toilet rolls, tinned food.
  • Write down important phone numbers on paper.  
  • Download the Be Ready checklist.
Priority register

If you or someone you know might need extra support during a gas, electricity or water outage, they may be able to sign up for the Priority Services Register. It’s a free service that ensures utility companies know who may need extra assistance. Lots of households are eligible, including those of pensionable age, people with long-term illnesses, and families with children under 5. Sign up with the Priority Services Register (PSR).  

Community emergency plans

Community emergency plans are developed by the local community to support residents during an emergency or unexpected event. 

If your community doesn’t have a community emergency plan you can encourage your local representatives (eg parish council) to create one. There are useful resources, including a guide to community emergency planning and a community emergency plans template on the Oxfordshire County Council’s community resilience webpages. 

They don’t have to be complex, and we can give support where required to advise on writing them. If you have any questions or would like some support please contact our Emergency Planning and Business Resilience Officer, by email at: EmergencyPlanning@southandvale.gov.uk

Stay informed:

Disruption to waste services  

If these is disruption to our waste and recycling services, due to adverse weather, such as snow, ice or flooding, we will post updates to our Changes to usual collections page – and notify people via  our Bin Updates WhatsApp Channel and our other social media channels. 

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