The paddling pools have been brought out, the lidos have been packed and in parks and fields across Britain the green grass has been replaced by something resembling brown straw.

But while it has been the summer of an ice-cream vendor’s dreams, the longest heatwave the country has experienced in the past 42 years has taken its toll on farmers and hospitals, with record numbers of people attending accident and emergency departments suffering from dehydration, and livestock forced to rely on winter supplies.

It has been the driest start to a summer since the Met Office began recording summer rainfall in 1961, with just 47mm of rain and 385 hours of sunshine in June and the first half of July.

Saturday brought respite from the relentless heat, which reached a peak on Thursday, the hottest day of the year. Temperatures soared to 35.3C in Faversham, Kent.

Torrential rain and thunderstorms in many parts of the country were greeted with cheers by those glad of a breath of cool air, and the chance to give watering their plants a miss. But forecasts indicate that the lull may not last long, with more hot weather forecast.

So how do we cope in the heat? We asked five people in very different jobs how they’ve dealt with the challenges of this very unusual summer.

Liv Paton, 23

RNLI lifeguard supervisor for the Isle of Wight and Hampshire

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Liv Paton on duty at Southsea beach in Hampshire. Photograph: Andrew Hasson/The Observer

“During this heatwave we’ve seen a massive rise in the beach population, especially among people who don’t usually visit and don’t know the hazards. We are also seeing more people suffering from heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and treating more children in excruciating pain who have stepped on the spines of weever fish in shallow water.

“We are twice as busy every day than we were last summer and we’re often having to extend our patrols past 6pm to deal with ongoing incidents. Not everyone realises the safe zone for swimming is between our red and yellow flags and there are so many people going into the sea that we can’t possibly advise everyone, although we do our best. So there’s much more to do to keep the water safe – it’s not easy doing such a stressful, mentally and physically demanding job every day in the heat. We have to remember always to wear sunscreen and stay safe in the sun ourselves. But the experience my team and I are getting this summer is invaluable, while guarding an empty beach in the rain can be demoralising. This summer, all of us lifeguards have got a T-shirt and shorts tan.

“Personally, I don’t want the heatwave to end. I’m loving it.”

Trevor Weeks, 46

Founder of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service

Trevor Weeks with his partner Kathy Martyn and a family of hedgehogs. Photograph: Chris Riddington

“The demand for our service has been huge this summer. We are doing at least 30 rescues a day and responding to call-outs each evening until 1am, or even later. Some nights, I’ve only managed to get two or three hours’ sleep. For example, we have had two or three calls each day for the past six weeks about hedgehogs suffering in the heat. They are so hot in their nests, they are coming out in the daytime and people are finding them very dehydrated and overheated.

“We’re also seeing a lot of baby birds, who have jumped out of their nests in roofs because they are too hot. They cannot fly yet and, down on the ground, their parents can’t look after them.

“Badgers are also struggling to dig for food because the ground is so hard. It’s heartbreaking. Sometimes we come back from a rescue in tears. It’s that stressful. It’s also frustrating, because as quickly as we release rescued animals back into the wild, more come in again.

“If everyone put out a dish of water for wildlife, I think it would have a huge benefit right now. But what worries me most is that the plants which would normally provide fruit and berries for wildlife in the autumn are shrivelled, brown and dead. What will sustain our wildlife when the heatwave finally ends?”

Christopher Hampson, 46

aka “Sir Devlin”, knight at Warwick Castle

Christopher Hampson, in his medieval knight’s armour at Warwick Castle. ’I easily do over 13,000 steps a day, but in armour it feels a lot more!’ Photograph: Andrew Fox/The Observer

“Every day during the heatwave, I’ve been wearing woollen padding, chain mail and armour, including a breastplate and a helmet – just like a medieval knight would have worn.

“My armour can weigh up to six stone. I wear it from 10am until 5pm and do four shows a day to teach children how to swordfight. My colleagues do full-on combat jousts on horseback.

“It’s tiring work and I’ve lost weight over the past six weeks due to the sheer amount I’ve been sweating during the day. But I take regular breaks when I sit in the shade and drink lots of water, and although the heat takes its toll on me, I am acutely aware that knights in the 12th century would have had to cope with similar temperatures during the Crusades.

“Warwick Castle is very much an outdoor attraction and we want good weather. This is my dream job and I would much rather be here than stuck inside an office. I do look forward to a cool drink and a cool shower at the end of the day, though – and when I finally get to take off my armour, it feels like I’m floating.”

India Pinnock, 31

Supervisor, Kew Gardens, London

India Pinnock tends to hydrangeas in Kew Gardens. Photograph: Jeff Eden/Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

“I’ve been hoping for rain every day in July. The Gardens have been really busy and the kids love our sprinklers, but the sunshine feels quite relentless and I must admit I am struggling with the heat.

“I’m drinking at least three litres of water a day but am feeling much more tired and lethargic than usual. There are definitely signs that plants are struggling, too. Normally we’d only have to spend about 20% of our time on irrigation but this summer it’s been more like 75%.

“The work can get quite monotonous – there’s a lot of dragging hoses around but even so we do have some plants and trees that have died. Some trees are also showing their autumn colours – a sign of stress.

“It’s upsetting when you find a dying plant too late to save it. It’s particularly painful when it’s one you planted or it’s rare, and you know that it’s extinct in the wild. If we continue to have weather like this, I’m worried a lot of plants we grow may not adapt and will be lost entirely.”

Paul Field, 53

Ice-cream seller, Berkshire

Paul Field cancelled his holiday to take advantage of increased sales of ice-creams. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Observer

“Wherever I go, everyone wants to buy ice-cream. I’ve been doing this job for 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. I cannot believe my luck. I have literally sold thousands of 99 Flakes over the last six weeks. My suppliers have run out of Strawberry Split and Rocket lollies, despite stepping up production, and my sales have at least doubled. If I park the van outside my home during the day and pop in to get something, I come back to a queue. People have even started queuing when I am stopped at traffic lights.

“I’m working 12-hour days to meet demand, seven days a week. I’m over the moon about how much ice-cream I’ve been selling, but I’m also worn out. It’s hot out there – and inside my van it gets to about 35C. I haven’t had a day off in three months and I’ve just cancelled my holiday plans.

“There’s no possible way I can take any time off while this beautiful sunshine lasts. I want to take advantage of it. It might never happen again.”