Get set Rugby for the start of British Summer Time

The official moment to make the change is at 1am on Sunday, March 26 – but in reality for most people the question is whether to make the change before going to bed on Saturday evening or remembering to do it on Sunday morning.

It’s a particular sport among church congregations to see if anyone has forgotten – while another sport for many drivers is to see how many months it takes for the car clock to automatically adjust.

With Spring having started officially on Monday, summer time on its way is usually a time for optimism and looking ahead. A rapid improvement in the weather would be a welcome sign, with energy costs still being sky high.

It will also be a time when some look towards days out, including music festivals. So for trivia fans, here’s the connection between British Summer Time and one of Britain’s top bands.

The Royal Museums Greenwich highlights the link: “William Willett - an early promoter of British Summer Time and great-great-grandfather of Coldplay singer Chris Martin - published a pamphlet in 1907 titled 'The Waste of Daylight', which suggested changing the clocks in the spring and putting them back in the autumn.

"However, Willett's proposal was complicated, involving advancing the clocks by 80 minutes, in four separate moves of 20 minutes each.

"Willett died in 1915. A year later parliament passed the Summer Time Act, which established the practice of putting the clocks an hour forward during the summer.”