Real stories · For those of us who are always the cold one

I'm always the coldest person at any outdoor gathering — this fleece-lined coat finally retired me from that job

Retired from being the cold one — that's what this coat has done for me. I'm 67, and at every outdoor gathering — the grandchildren's football, the firework display, the queue outside the butcher's at Christmas — I have always been the one visibly suffering: shoulders up, hands buried, counting down to the car.

What I wanted was a coat that made cold events simply not cold, without me looking like I'd dressed for an expedition.

Then I found the Seravienna from a British label called York Boutique — a fleece-lined coat, and I chose the soft grey, which manages to look gentle and put-together at the same time.

The warmth is built in where it counts. The entire inside is lined with thick white fleece, which is why the heat you bring stays with you instead of leaking out — frosty-morning warm, not just crisp-afternoon warm. The hood is there for when the wind turns, the toggle buttons fasten easily even with gloves on — a small mercy no one designs for — and the relaxed cut takes a jumper underneath without straining. Mid-thigh length, so the lower back and hips stay covered, which is half the battle.

The whole inside is thick white fleece that locks the warmth in, the hood is there when the wind turns, and the toggles fasten with gloves on — the cold stays outside, where it belongs.

The proper test came at my grandson's Saturday match: ninety minutes on an open touchline in a wind straight off the moors, and I stood there quite comfortably to the final whistle — a personal first. The other grandmother asked me, genuinely, how I was 'managing'. I showed her the fleece inside and she photographed the label.

I'll be honest: at £44.95 I paused. Then I thought about every cold event between October and March that I currently endure rather than attend, and it stopped being a difficult decision. It's less than half the usual £110, and I'd checked I could send it back if it disappointed — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free. It comes in six colours and in sizes UK 8/10 all the way to 22/24.

If you're also permanently the coldest person at the gathering, do treat yourself to a look. The Seravienna is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 280 women, it's £44.95 in the sale instead of £110 — nearly 60% off — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.