Ski bunnies head for the hills of Lancashire

There was a Friday feeling with a difference last week as Brits planned last-second trips to the best ski slopes in Europe - the slopes of Rochdale! As the north of England is coated in a thick layer of the white stuff, powder monkeys headed off to the Pennines clutching snowboards, skis and even kitchen trays.

That’s according to Wigadoo, the UK’s leading website for organising group trips and events.

The site says it’s experienced a surge in traffic from people taking last-second advantage of the week’s unexpected downfall.

Ski fanatics from all over the country have been logging on to Facebook at work and rallying their friends to organise trips to the Pennines and other snowy places.

“Skiing in Rochdale may sound ridiculous but winter sports are really popular in Britain,” says Andy Cockburn, CEO of Wigadoo. “People will jump at any opportunity to take advantage of a decent snowfall.

“But the unpredictable British weather means these trips need to be organised really quickly, which makes collecting the funds quite difficult without something like Wigadoo.”

People can suggest a trip to friends via their Facebook, pledge the funds and book the hotel and transport in a matter of minutes with their virtual prepaid MasterCard.

“I decided to book my ski trip on Tuesday and by Wednesday I had all the money collected and the whole thing booked,” says Olivia Gwynn. “Wigadoo was great for getting people to fully commit to an idea and pledge the money.”