The efforts of those who battled their way through snow and ice to reach their domiciliary care jobs have been praised by the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA).

As reported by Community Care, staff have taken extraordinary measures to reach the vulnerable people they care for. Some have volunteered to get out their 4x4s to drive people into work in their free time, whilst others took to the sleds to reach clients.

Imelda and Margaret are two examples of going the extra mile to reach work, and were singled out by UKHCA for praise. They used sledges to pull shopping to someone who had spinal injuries and couldn't shop for themselves in Derbyshire. Elsewhere, in North Devon, Lorraine Adams was praised when she abandoned her car and hopped on a bike to reach people.

"Homecare workers across the UK are once again defying the weather and getting to clients using whatever means they can - a tribute to the vital work that our sector does all year round," said Mike Padgham, chairman of the UKHCA.

In Guildford, the council contacted all care users to make sure they had sufficient hot food, medication and advice on keeping warm. Extra staff delivered extra meals yesterday, and workmen are on call to fix broken heating systems for housing tenants.

There are countless examples across the country of those who care for the vulnerable jumping into action to help, with members of the community helping out where they can.