Volunteers brave the snow to rescue hospital staff

VILLAGERS and local councillors came to the rescue of Bath Royal United Hospital staff when heavy snow brought chaos and treacherous conditions to roads in the area.

With staff unable to get to and from work, the hospital sent out a plea for help to the community, asking for volunteers with suitable vehicles to come forward, and were soon inundated with offers of help.

Amongst the volunteers were a number of residents from Melksham’s villages, including parish councillor Nick Holder, who wanted to give back to the hospital who had saved his life. “Two weeks before Christmas I had an operation at the RUH to prevent me from having a heart attack, so this was my way of saying thank you,” said Nick.

“I took one doctor from the RUH back to her home in Freshford. She had abandoned her Mini in the snow the day before, so she had walked three hours to work that morning in the snow! After that experience, she was grateful for the lift home!

“The hairiest experience was at the top of a hill in Colerne when I collected a midwife. There was a foot of snow either side of the car and the road had not been gritted.

“In total I helped four members of staff, driving up until 8.30pm that night. As a local councillor I serve the community, so when I saw the call for help I naturally responded.”

Also lending a hand with his trusty 4×4, was Whitley resident John Lister, who posted his availability to help on Facebook. “What started off as an idle post on Facebook on Friday morning ended up as quite a challenging weekend, seeing for myself the real dedication that keeps our Health Service ticking over,” explained John.

“With the village snow-bound, my post offering to use my underutilised Land Rover to get anyone from A to B if needed, ended up with me being requested to help at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, where they needed to get their staff to and from work.

“Passengers were cleaners, nurses, registrars, cooks, doctors and managers, who all had a tale to tell of the last 48 hours of how the snow and ice had affected their work.

“Cars abandoned, walks in the snow, late running shifts, double shifts, nights sleeping in the hospital.  What really shone through was the dedication that all these workers showed to their work, to keep the essential service functioning.”

Chief executive at Bath RUH, James Scott said, “A huge thank you to our staff and members of the community, who despite the freezing conditions went above and beyond, to ensure that we could maintain a safe and professional service to our patients.

“I want to thank all those who volunteered to bring our staff to work and then take them home again. We had lots of offers and we’re so grateful to them. This week staff have really lived our values and the community spirit has been amazing to see, which I’ve been so impressed with. Thank you.”