Two wedding ceremonies were saved when registrars took extreme measures to reach the happy couples.
Swansea Council workers Vanessa Lucas and Sharon McKnight arranged emergency transport through the wintry conditions to the Civic Centre in a specialised 4 x 4 vehicle on Saturday morning when they realised they were iced in at their respective homes in Sketty and Tycoch.
Swansea Council’s transport team made a quick diversion from their duties to ensure the duo reached the wedding parties by 10am.
Their quick-thinking meant couples from both the Haverfordwest and Neath Port Talbot areas were able to get married. Many of the people at the weddings were unaffected by the snow and ice because they’d stayed in the vicinity of the Civic Centre the night before.
Patricia Davies and Gerard Davies were one of the happy couples.
Patricia, who’s now on Honeymoon in Cyprus with her husband, said: “I’d no idea the registrars had difficulties in reaching the wedding. We’d like to thank all our guests and the people who helped the wedding take place because we had a wonderful day and everything was on time.”
Vanessa Lucas, of Sketty, is one of the two registrars to have ventured through the snow and ice.
She said: “We called the transport team based in Clydach the night before the weddings to check if they would be available and then called them again in the morning when we realised we were snowed in.
“The conditions were treacherous and we wouldn’t have been able to make it to the services if it wasn’t for their help.
“We’re delighted to have helped two couples get married despite the wintry weather.”
Staff members in Swansea Council’s Burials and Cremations section have also been working hard to ensure that a full service is provided for families and friends saying farewell to loved ones during the cold snap.
All services have taken place on time and staff have been putting down grit in the main areas of the crematorium and around newly-prepared graves.
Noel Evans, Swansea Council’s Head of Burials and Cremations, said: “We have a commitment to people who have recently suffered a bereavement regardless of whether or not we can get home.”
All refuse and kerbside recycling material collections were also completed on Monday and Tuesday this week despite the cold weather and the Christmas backlog.
Where side streets have been too icy for the usual waste lorries to get to properties, Council staff have used transit vans and other smaller vehicles to carry out collections. Sweepers have also been helping to grit roads and mop up refuse where necessary.
Residents who normally have collections on Wednesday (January 6) are being urged to put out their refuse and kerbside recycling materials as usual.
Home care staff from the Council’s social services department have also been visiting service users up to four times a day during the cold spell to provide daily personal care and meals to people who require support in their own homes.
The doors have remained open at Council libraries and leisure centres across Swansea.
