AT THE height of the winter storm, a trend appeared on Twitter called #SnowHeroes, detailing the exploits of those people who were going above and beyond to help others.

A gamekeeper from Laverstoke was one of the people who answered the call to help Hampshire Hospitals staff get to work during the Beast from the East.

Steven Blunden awoke to the news on Friday that there was an appeal to get hospital staff to work through the snow as the weather conditions worsened and the snow continued to fall.

Both the South Central Ambulance Service and the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust put out a call to arms for people with 4x4s or other appropriate vehicles to help nurses and other hospital staff get to work.

Mr Blunden said: “I took two nurses to Basingstoke hospital in the morning in my 4x4, one for the intensive care unit, and another who was working in isolation.

“I was booked to make some more runs in the evening, but in the end, I wasn’t required.

“The staff at the hospital are absolutely fantastic and work very hard.

“It was amazing that the whole hospital was still running, and if I could repay a little bit of what they were doing for everybody, then it was worth it. It was a very good feeling to help out.”

Donna Green, chief nurse at Hampshire Hospitals, tweeted stories of staff going above and beyond at the trust to come in to work, including some who offered spare beds to colleagues who could not get home and family members helping out.

Hampshire Hospitals tweeted on Friday: “A big thank you to all of our amazing staff for their efforts yesterday, overnight and today.”