As the Capital prepares for heavy snow, big-hearted volunteers are ready to take to the streets

THE shovel hit the ice and barely made an impression.

The ground was frozen solid after weeks of sub-zero temperatures, and Heather Levy was already exhausted from hours of digging through mounds of snow.

But the 51-year-old wouldn’t give up. She was determined that her elderly neighbours, trapped indoors by the severe winter weather, would get the tins of food and power cards being delivered by others trudging up and down the steep slope of Oxgangs Avenue, laden with supplies. Keeping the pavements and road clear was, as she saw it, her duty.

It’s no wonder then that Heather was one of the first to sign up when Edinburgh City Council launched an appeal for snow patrol volunteers, as part of this year’s campaign to keep the city moving should a repeat of last year’s snow fall hit.

She’s on red alert for the first heavy snow, and she believes that last winter was a reminder to all in Oxgangs that working together keeps the community running in the most challenging of times.

“We got hammered last year and Oxgangs Avenue was closed off for two weeks, so we needed people to help us keep things moving”, recalls Heather, who also chairs the Firrhill Community Council and works as a project manager for the Oxgangs Care project.

“A squad of us got together and came up with a plan to shift the snow at the top and bottom of the steep hill, along with Colinton Mains and Firhill Drive because without those the entire area just grinds to a halt. People saw us out working and came to help. There was an issue with folk not having enough food because they couldn’t get out to the shops, so we had to all pitch in together.

“And this was all before the scheme was set up this year, so havi