It may seem like just yesterday the clocks were going forward and we were headed for brighter and, hopefully, warmer days. But, fast forward in a flash, here we are again, about to mark the official end of another British summertime.
The clocks go back one hour at 2am this Sunday, 29 October, when the UK reverts to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The mornings will be lighter, but the evenings will most certainly be darker.
So how did the concept of daylight saving come about? Germany became the first country to introduce daylight saving in April 1916, as a means of saving on coal usage and the use of artificial lighting.
The idea of British Summer Time was introduced by Edwardian builder William Willett in 1907 when he published a pamphlet called ‘The Waste of Daylight’ suggesting that the change of clocks would not only improve health and happiness, but the additional hours of daylight would save the country millions of pounds in productivity.
The subject of clock changing has generated much debate in recent years, with many saying there is little practical gain from changing the time, and that the bi-annual process only serves to disrupt schools and businesses.
But whether daylight saving is right or wrong, one thing for certain is that, with the clocks going back, we are just a few weeks away from the start of the Festive Season, which is often a critical time for UK SMEs.
Whilst we can’t give you more daylight hours, we can warm the cockles of your heart by putting processes in place to benefit you and your SME business now and in the future. Contact Steve Govey or your usual Beavis Morgan Partner to find out more.