Scouthead gets its very own igloo after heavy snow

SCOUTHEAD was left looking more like the North Pole as one family took advantage of the wintry weather by making an igloo.

Seeing inches of snow on the ground on Sunday, January 5, sparked an idea in Kieran Kelly’s head – he wanted to create one.

And after four hours’ work on Dawson’s Field, with wife Lauren and seven-year-old daughter Annabelle also playing a big part, the family was able to enjoy a warm brew inside it.

When they went back to the site hours later, they found other children and families sampling life very much up north – forget Scouthead, it was more like Saskatchewan.

“It was Kieran’s idea,” said Lauren. “He said, ‘Normal people want to build a snowman but I’ve always wanted to make an igloo. Come on, let’s make one!’

“We did it to make a memory for my daughter.

“We didn’t think it would take us that long but once we’d started and it was halfway up, we thought, ‘We’ve got to finish this.’

“Kieran had also taken a small camping stove and a kettle up and he said, ‘Once we’ve done it, we’re having a hot chocolate inside it.

“That was what spurred us on and we had the hot chocolate. It was surprisingly warm in there too!

“Now we understand why people build igloos in such cold temperatures.”

Seeing an igloo pop up in Scouthead rather than the north of Canada or Greenland certainly caused a stir.

And the Kellys’ creation proved a real attraction.

“Loads of people came to see us build it,” Lauren told Saddleworth Independent. “Other families went to Dawson’s to make snowmen, dog walkers too.

“Everyone was asking, ‘What are you building?’ when we’d first started. We made it with a decorating tub – filling that with snow, compacting it and making bricks from it.

“Everyone was really intrigued. We were really shocked at how many people commented on it. It seems to have brought a smile to the community.

“We really enjoyed building it and everyone enjoying it. We walked up later that day to see of it was still standing and there were other families and children playing in it.

“That was really nice.”

Sadly, the British weather made sure the new addition to the landscape did not last too long.

Hours of rain meant the igloo had disappeared by the morning of Monday, January 6.

Lauren added: “It didn’t withstand the rain that came in just as we left it after having our hot chocolate.

“Kieran walked up there to have a look and unfortunately it didn’t cope with the rain.”