A HAMPSHIRE home carer has been hailed a snow hero after she gave up her weekend off to look after a frail 93-year-old man.

Christine Calder was asked by Hampshire social services to make an emergency check on Alfred Preecy who lives alone in the Boyatt Wood area of Eastleigh.

The pensioner, who had not been out in the snow and ice, couldn't remember when he last ate and his kitchen cupboard was bare.

Mr Preecy, who suffers from short-term memory loss, had been prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection by his GP.

Mrs Calder, 57, was so concerned she visited three times daily during her weekend off to ensure the elderly man took his medicine and had hot meals.

She also brought him a spare duvet and pillow from her own home because he was using a coat to keep warm at night - and fed his very hungry cat.

Mr Preecy, who had been confined to his sofa, made a speedy recovery and even tucked into a plate of fish and chips.

Mrs Calder, a grandmother, said: "He has no family or anything. I was asked to make sure he had his antibiotics but I could see he wasn't in a good situation.

"I asked when he last ate and he couldn't remember. I made him a cup of tea and gave him some breakfast and he said 'you are so kind to me are you coming back?' I said: 'you bet!'

"I couldn't bear the thought of him just lying there so I asked my boss if I could go back. I gave up my weekend to look after him. He couldn't fend for himself.

"By the second day he was looking much happier. Every time I went in he said 'hello darling am I glad to see you.' He was such a sweetie."

The home carer is even more of a hero because she had slipped and badly gashed her head while on her rounds in the pre-Christmas snow.

But she still bravely went out in the recent big freeze to visit her elderly clients, walking up steep roads if her car got stuck in snow.

She said: "I had bad concussion and ended up in hospital. It was very scary but you can't stop caring just because it's snowing."

Her boss, Gaye Seeley, director of Eastleigh-based Home Comforts, said: "Chris went over and above what she was required to do. She is a fantastic carer."

Another Big Chill hero is care assistant Izabela Manko, 35, who works at Forest Court nursing home at Tatchbury Mount near Totton.

She finished a late shift at 10pm but didn't arrive at her Hedge End home until 4am because of chaos on the roads after heavy snowfall.

But after only a few hours sleep, she turned around and was one of the first to arrive for an early shift, starting at 7.30am.

Manager of the 80-bed county council home Mary Critcher said: "It was real grit, determination and commitment that got her back here.

"Our staff have been absolutely amazing, giving each other lifts and even accommodation to make sure they are able to get in for work."