As the winter weather continues to wreak havoc on Tayside, Good Samaritans have been rallying to make sure key workers get to work.
Fencing contractor Ross Sievwright, 32, has been using his 4×4 truck to give a helping hand to those in need.
Ross, director at First Class Fencing in Dundee, said the idea came after speaking to his partner, Nikki, a maternity scrub nurse at Ninewells Hospital.
“I know the difficulties and the necessity for key workers to get into hospital,” he said.
“I’ve got the truck sitting in the driveway that can get through the snow no problem, so instead of sitting in the driveway, I’d be as well putting it to some use. It gets through the snow and up the hills no problem at all.
“I was going to help out just my partner’s colleagues but I thought there’s going to be a lot more other people out there struggling.”
Ross estimates he has done around 15 trips so far, including taking one woman to hospital to receive chemotherapy.
‘It’s been crazy’
Since posting his generous offer on Facebook, Ross has been inundated with messages and the post has had over 600 shares.
“It’s been crazy,” he said.
“People have been trying to put money in my pockets, but that’s not the purpose of what I’m doing. I’ve not been taking money off of people. ”
Ross, who says he won’t be back to work until next week, is planning to offer the lifts over the next couple of days.
Road chaos and avalanches reported as Tayside and Fife hit by biggest snowfall in years
He said: “Until I’m able to go back to work if people are needing a hand, I’ll be there to give a hand.”
However, Ross says he is not the only one out doing a good deed.
He said: “There’s a lot of people that are doing just as good a job as me. Last night, when I was out, there were a good few trucks kicking about and there were another few businesses that have been getting shared on Facebook.
“Dundee gets a lot of bad publicity sometimes but when crunch comes to crunch people stick together and help out as best they can.”
Anyone looking to get in touch with Ross can contact him via 07988408619.
Joiners pitch in
Local business Ashton Joiners also put their truck to use helping NHS staff get to work.
The company’s owner, Kyle Brackenridge, said the service had already proven popular.
He added: “We’ve helped about 15 people get back and forth so far, we’re actually just back from Arbroath now.
“We haven’t been able to do any work recently because Covid stops us from going into people’s houses, so the truck was just sitting there and I thought we may as well put it to good use.
“We’ve been on the go since about 5.30am this morning actually.
“We’ll be doing it constantly, all through the day, and we’ve already had requests for tomorrow.”
VIDEO: Footage shows scale of epic snowfall across Tayside and Fife during Storm Darcy
Angus brothers come to aid of those stuck in the snow
Brothers John and William McDonald from Montrose have also been helping out.
John, director at Pearlcontracts landscaping company, said they decided to help out after noticing people getting stuck in the snow.
His post on Facebook has also had plenty of shares.
“We’ve had a lot of phone calls just from Montrose so far,” he explained.
So far they have been going round local streets clearing pathways and people’s driveways.
They have also helped a friend in Brechin who became stuck, as well as an elderly woman who was stuck in a Lidl carpark.
Anyone looking for help in the Montrose or the surrounding area can contact them on 07555186096.
VIDEO: Frozen spell endures across Tayside and Fife as Scotland braces for lows of -20C
