Another long dark winter is almost in the rear view mirror as we welcome March - the month when the clocks go forward. With any luck the chillier days are coming to an end and we will soon see it being light until well into the evening.
According to the meteorological calendar, today is the first day of spring, even if it might not feel like it just yet. But the days are already getting longer in terms of daylight by a few minutes each day since the shortest day back in December.
British Summer Time will see daylight hours get longer. The clocks always change on the last weekend of March each year in the UK so this year, that falls on Sunday, March 27, reports the MEN.
As per every year, the clocks will go forward by one hour that morning, meaning we will lost an hour in bed but gain an hour's daylight in the evenings. Manual clocks will need changing, of course, but those on electronic devices such as phones should alter automatically.
The practice of putting the clocks forwards in spring and backwards in autumn has been going on for centuries. Initially, the idea was get people out of their homes and outside to enjoy the daylight hours.
Benjamin Franklin first campaigned to change the clocks during his time in Paris in 1784. His belief was that if people got out of bed earlier, they would be able to enjoy the extra daylight.
For years, the idea was opposed, but in 1916 the idea was finally properly implemented in the UK when the first Daylight Saving Bill was brought before the House of Commons.
After summer, the clocks will go back again - t his year, the clocks will go back on Sunday, October 30. If you’re unsure as to which way the clocks go during which season, an easy way to remember it is that you ‘spring forward and fall back'. This works if you think of the America word for autumn - fall.
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