Care home bosses have thanked local heroes for their help during Storm Arwen.
Balhousie Care Group homes were left devastated by last weekend’s storm that battered Scotland.
Chefs at the group’s properties were forced to cook by torchlight while other staff members remained on site to work around the clock to support vulnerable residents.
Balhousie - which runs 26 care homes across Scotland - saw power outages, water shortages and phone and internet lines down at the height of the storm and into last week.
In the Angus and Aberdeenshire regions, which were particularly hard hit, everyone from shops and relatives to Police and healthcare partners rallied round.
Staff at Balhousie Alastrean House in Aberdeenshire worked with torches and their chef cooked up batches of soup to help keep residents warm.
Maintenance Operative, Robbie Roberts, cleared out a local B&Q store of torches and batteries before setting out from his home in Angus to help his colleagues.
A call-out to relatives of the residents also resulted in extra torch and food donations.
Local police provided an escort to the supplier of an electricity generator for the home and knocked on staff doors to ask them to come in for shifts, as phone lines were down.
When Balhousie The Glens, in Angus, lost power last Friday evening, staff member Liz Hunter and her husband battled the treacherous weather to cut down trees so that staff could get in to work safely.
Meanwhile, Val Di Vara chip shop in Brechin and Bel’s Butchers in Edzell provided hot food and chip suppers when power went out again on Tuesday.
The home’s manager, Brenda Marr, said: “Liz and her husband are very deserving of recognition for their work cutting trees down, and both Bel’s and Val Di Vara saved the day for us with hot food.
“Also, a big thank you to all the staff who rallied round, thought out of the box and managed to make sure that, despite the lack of power, all of our residents were cosy comfy and well fed.”
In Arbroath, where Balhousie Care Group has two care homes, McDonald’s provided tea and coffee for hardworking staff and their residents.
Jill Kerr, Balhousie Group Chief Executive, said: “Our staff and communities went over and above last weekend during Storm Arwen and are still stepping up to make sure our homes run as smoothly as possible.
“I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of the company to all our community partners who have helped us through it and, personally, to our devoted and hard-working staff.
“They truly are all about our residents, and their dedication in the face of extreme challenges is inspiring.”
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