IN the newsroom earlier this week there was desperate talk of a snow crisis – amid fears that there wouldn’t be any. To the huge relief of reporters, photographers and especially the newsdesk, it arrived.

So how has Dorset coped? Pretty well it seems. The local councils have done a good job in gritting the roads and keeping traffic on the move.

Workers at Bournemouth council even helped Meatloaf get his lorries out of the BIC following his concert on Wednesday night.

Most people have struggled into work and even though some shops were clearly affected by the lack of trade, Castlepoint reported people walking to the centre rather than miss out.

Nothing comes between some consumers and their retail therapy experience.

But the best line from the day’s events was surely the fact that lots of children were able to bunk off school legitimately – only to find their homework sent to them by text message and email. Priceless.

A good effort on the part of their teachers. And full marks to staff at the middle and first schools at Canford Heath for suspending timetabled activities in the morning for a snowman competition.

With the two schools among only a handful open in Poole, the executive head Sue Pelham wanted pupils to “enjoy something that doesn’t happen very often.”