St David’s Day 2018 will be remembered as the one that was gripped by the so-called ‘Beast from the East’.
A red snow alert was issued for the first time in the UK by the Met Office and the country came to a halt. So heavy was the snowfall, there are still patches that have yet to completely melt away.
Despite having a huge impact on day-to-day life for around four days, the poor weather saw everybody pulling together to get through.
We asked readers to share their snow stories and pictures with us and we weren’t disappointed.
Residents contacted us to say thanks to local farmer John Difford for clearing the roads in and around Nelson. An extra thanks was also given to his sister Cath, who kept their farm shop open.
Nicola Johns, from Bedwas, Trethomas, and Machen FC contacted us to praise club coaches Lee Cumpston and Dai Ford who both volunteered themselves and their 4x4s to ferry staff and patients between the Heath and Royal Gwent hospitals over the two days that the roads were impassable.
Nicola said: “Lee heard that a friend of mine Christine Wilson who’s a nurse at the Heath was worried about getting into work to help with cover as they were short-staffed so picked her up. He ensured she got in safely while also asking if there were others that needed a lift.
“Dai Ford also put a shout out to help staff and dialysis patients get to and from the Royal Gwent in Newport as well as helping those with limited mobility to get supplies for them.
“We are so proud of these guys. All our coaches give up their time to help with providing football for children in the community but this was over and above and showed brilliant community spirit.”
Hendredenny residents got together to clear the roads on their estate.
Becki Baldwin, of Tenby Court, said: “Great team work with some of the kids mucking in too. A great community to live in.”
After two days of being snowed-in, residents of Penmaen Close in Cefn Hengoed decided to get out the shovels and clear a path to the main road. Resident Dianne Madhaven said: “Caerphilly Council did a fantastic job clearing the main routes, working throughout the weekend but they couldn’t do it all. The neighbours were happy to show their community spirit to dig an escape route.”
Scrap metal dealer Damien Duffy, from Caerphilly, spent three days driving his 4×4 to help deliver flowers and guests to a wedding in Llanbradach as well as helping nurses stuck in the snow.
He also took a lady receiving chemotherapy from Lansbury Park, in Caerphilly, to the Heath hospital after she fell seriously ill with an infection.
The ambulance couldn’t get through but ‘Duffy’ of JD Metals was successful.
Alan Brideaux, from Maesycwmmer, ferried nurses and others using his 4×4 and was hailed a hero online.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Highways team worked around the clock, gritting well in excess of 10,000 kilometres of highways network over the course of a four-day period.
They also supported gaining access to around 70 dialysis patients so they could receive treatment, and supported seven pregnant women in getting to hospital. The team also helped services including the ambulance, fire, police and Welsh Water in reaching incidents.
Council leader Dave Poole said: “The recent weather conditions have been exceptional and our resources were stretched to the limit, but the response from council staff has been outstanding.
“Gritting crews worked around the clock in atrocious conditions to keep our highway network open, but they were also instrumental in providing vital assistance for 999 emergencies, dialysis patients, helping expectant mothers get to hospital and getting much needed support to the most vulnerable people in our community.
“We’ve also heard instances of carers walking miles to get to clients, sometimes through waist-deep snow drifts.
Our drivers provided invaluable support by using a fleet of 4×4 vehicles to transport staff to residential homes and other vital care settings.”
Deputy council leader Sean Morgan added: “I’d like to pay tribute to our residents for their fantastic displays of community spirit.
“While our teams did as much as they possibly could, they of course could not reach each and every street, cul-de-sac and back lane.
“Our community really have excelled themselves, and have worked tirelessly alongside our teams, lending a hand wherever they were able to make sure that our county borough could keep moving as much as possible”.
Other council teams also supported the efforts, including carers who walked miles to get to clients, grounds maintenance teams, who were unable to carry out their normal duties, picked up snow shovels to clear residential complexes, schools, doctors’ surgeries and cemeteries.
The housing team dealt with over 2,200 calls from tenants over the four-day period and emergency 4×4 transport was provided by the council’s Facilities Management team in order to ensure that frontline social services were delivered.
These vehicles were used on 500 separate occasions to get key staff to their place of work.
Staff in the council’s CCTV control room answered two months’ worth of emergency out-of-hours calls in four days and the council’s Meals-on-Wheels service ensured that 100% of deliveries were made to elderly and vulnerable residents.
