The community heroes helping to keep spirits up during the cold snap

Many of us have been enjoying the snow of late, but for others, it's yet another thing to worry about.

Thankfully, there's an army of community heroes who are doing a sterling job of keeping an eye on our most vulnerable members of society.

The Thorpe Helping Hands scheme was founded right at the start of the pandemic last year, and is playing an even more critical role now.

The team of volunteers help to deliver things like prescriptions and food shopping to residents in Thorpe St Andrew, and check-in on elderly people who could otherwise go days or even weeks without speaking to another person.

"Hopefully we're making them feel that there is somebody outside the front door who cares about them," Secretary Samantha Mayling told ITV News Anglia.

"Some of them don't step out their front door for days on end, they don't speak to another person for days on end."

Nurses at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston have also been going the extra mile to put a smile on faces.

Staff nurse Danielle Howlett and Healthcare Assistant Nikki Brooks built a snowman, complete with face mask, for an elderly patient who mentioned to them that he would love to be able to see one out of his window on the Older People’s Medicine ward.

And with the cold snap set to continue for the next few days, the contribution of people like this will be more important than ever.