40° Stories

Tell Us Your Story

The scorching summer of 2022 will forever be etched in the memories of those residing in the United Kingdom. From 16th to 19th July, an unprecedented heatwave swept across the nation, leaving a trail of records broken and communities tested. As the heat soared to a historic 40.3°C, we bore witness to the immense challenges faced by vulnerable groups, the strains on essential services, and the untold stories of resilience and struggle. Shade the UK, an organisation committed to raising awareness about the effects of increased temperatures on the vulnerable, invites you to share your personal experiences and journeys during this momentous heatwave.

Join us as we collect stories from diverse backgrounds, shedding light on the impact this heatwave had on different vulnerability groups.

How were you affected by the 2022 heatwave?

  • Lesley

    Lesley shared her experience of looking after her husband, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s during the heatwave.

  • Kirstie

    Kirstie shared her experience of how her daughter, and family, are impacted during the summer.

  • Joseph

    Joseph works for the London Tenants Federation, he shared his experience taking to tenants during the heatwave. He also shared his own experience living in a tall housing block in London.

  • Pamela

    Pamela shared her experience as a Paediatric nurse in a children’s ward.

  • Tabitha

    Tabitha shared her experience of working as a primary school teacher during the July 2022 heatwave.

  • Jonny

    Jonny shared his experience working at the Pleasance Theatre Trust in Islington.

  • Elaine

    Elaine is a volunteer at the Hilldrop Community Centre in Islington, she shared her experience working at the Food Hub during the heatwave

  • Heather

    Heather shared her experience of working from home during the heatwave.

  • Celia

    Celia shared her experience as both an Islington resident and visitor of the Elizabeth House Community Centre

  • Cornelius

    Cornelius shared his experience with extreme heat as a member of the Islington Pensioners Forum.

Read their stories

  • “I frequently get sick in hot weather as my autism makes it hard for me to tell when I am thirsty or too hot, so I have to be very careful and heatwaves cause significant stress to me and those I live with”

    Reilly, York

  • "I'm always making sure my husband doesn't dehydrate ... it was really hard to manage him then [in the summer] with his condition."

    Lesley, London

  • "It was extremely difficult to cool down, I was worried about my 80 year old grandma and our dog"

    Grace

  • "Our living room is south facing so it was the hottest room in the flat ... I shut the windows and put the blinds down ... there's no way to escape the heat."

    Tabitha, London

  • "... getting around at times was pure hell, especially on buses, and the overcrowded Tube, it certainly wasn't healthy ..."

    Karen, London

  • "I live on the eighth floor of a block of flats, it means the heat is incredibly problematic ... I couldn't be in there during the day."

    Joseph, London

  • "I worked in a kitchen at the time which made it so much worse - people love going out to eat when it's warm but as a chef it is torture"

    Emily, Peterborough

  • "My bedroom is on the corner of an old house and it really traps the heat, so it was dangerous for me to sleep in there, so I had to sleep on a mattress in the kitchen ..."

    Reilly, York

  • "It didn't have to reach 40 degrees outside before it became unbearable inside the wards [...] It created a lot of stress in what was already a stressful environment ... we were losing so much fluid yet didn't even have time to get water."

    Pamela, London

  • "People with asthma, people with lung problems; obviously the smokers [...] they struggle with the heat. I'm not sure what it does to the heat-regulating system, but I'm sure it has an effect"

    Brunwin, London

  • "When you are reliant on a 12v off-grid electrical system, air conditioning isn’t an option and even an electric fan can be more than the system can cope with … leaving windows open at night is too risky for those moored on public towpaths”

    Tracey, Aldermaston

  • "Our baby daughter who was barely a year old at the time struggled the most, she was unable to sleep ... Despite trying everything from portable fans, coolers, cooling sprays to wet towels strategically placed around the apartment, achieving decent ventilation and cool air proved nearly impossible."

    Kirstie, London

  • "I have been in high temperatures before, but I've never experienced that intensity! ... Plants in our garden died and we had to keep putting cold flannels on our dogs' tummies to stop them panting. It really is shocking but I'm terrified it will become normalised, instead of moving people to action"

    Josie, Sudbury

  • "I remember a few days later there was no relief, even in the middle of the night. There was no chance to open the window to have some relief and to get some fresh air in [...] I used to go to the supermarket just for the air conditioning"

    Alex, London

  • "Well, I don’t know how to deal with the heat either you know? … maybe it’s a cultural thing … because we don’t have that much heat or that much sun, so people go out in the gardens when it’s really, really hot”

    Celia, London

Understanding Heat Vulnerability
Voices from London Fields

This summer, we were joined by thee wonderful volunteers, Alice, Holly and Lin Yu from the University of Warwick and The London School of Economics who spent two weeks interviewing the public in London Fields about their experiences during hot weather.

We spoke with people from a range of backgrounds - from older residents to those experiencing homelessness – to understand how heatwaves affect the most vulnerable and what changes people want to see in the built environment.

Learn more in our video below.

Do you live in the Greater London Area?

Do you work in or use any Community, Voluntary, or Faith organisations in London?

If so, we want to hear from you!

Shade the UK is interviewing people using and working in voluntary, community, or faith organisations in London about heat.

This project is led by the Greater London Authority to inform their Heat Risk Delivery Plan for London.

Find out more