The heaviest snowfall for nearly three decades, crippling Forest services and leaving the vast majority of country roads impassable, has prompted a desperate appeal for help.

Age Concern, which runs the meals on wheels service throughout the Forest, says almost all elderly people on their books have been left without hot meals. They "urgently" need help from volunteer 4x4 drivers in the coming weeks, especially if there is more snow in the next week or more.

Kim Worgan from Age Concern's meals on wheels offices in Cinderford says she normally runs nine vehicles a day, five days a week, delivering hot meals to vulnerable people from Newent to the outskirts of Chepstow.

"It's been dreadful since the snows started. We've managed to reach one really vulnerable man in Berry Hill. He's upstairs and on breathing apparatus. The side roads are the big problem, especially round Dancing Green and Drybrook. I've rung everyone and they're just coping, with either family, neighbours or friends. But if it keeps going and we can't get through it is going to become quite critical. We do need anybody with a four wheel drive who can give us some help."

If you can help, Kim's telephone numbers are highlighted below.

Hilly communities like Ruardean, Drybrook, St Briavels, Blakeney Hill and Llandogo were among the worst hit by the snow, some being completely cut off with scores of cars abandoned on country lanes and delivery lorries left flailing. Falls of 8ins were reported in Flaxley, 15ins in Mile End, Coleford. All 57 Forest schools and 11 Wyeside schools closed down.

Leisure centres and

libraries shut, school bus services were cancelled. Bevans of Lydney, which runs most school services in the central Forest said services were suspended from January 5 and it was impossible to get between Lydney and Cinderford at all because "the Soudley Valley hadn't seen a gritter."

Similarly, Stagecoach abandoned most services on January 5, although a skeleton service was later resumed. Rail services struggled through, with some minor delays.

An 18-year old was rescued from an island on the lake at Lakeside Gardens, Lydney, by firefighters roused from their beds at 4am. This prompted a blitz of calls saying he deserved to be charged for the cost of the rescue involving 18 firefighters, two fire engines from Lydney, one from Gloucester, ambulances, police and a rescue boat. Elsewhere, Severn Area Rescue Association's Beachley team was called out in severe weather to take a paramedic from Griffithstown in South Wales to man Cinderford Ambulance Station. The same team were also called to Penallta Park ponds near Caerphilly to investigate signs of a missing person under the ice.

Rubbish collections and postal deliveries to remoter areas were abandoned for days, although St Briavel's posties, Tim Hatherall and Jim O'Donnell did make it through to set up a sort of emergency 'one stop' collection point for locals at the farmers market.

Coal merchants, plumb­ers, gritter drivers and oil suppliers worked round the clock and there was panic buying of bread, milk and salt – with everything from gourmet sea salt flakes to dishwasher salt vanishing from the shelves.

Hales of Drybrook were expecting 66 tonnes of grit on Tuesday and planned to see it in approximately 25kg bags to callers. "We'll deliver it too," said a spokesman.

Pubs mostly coped, despite real concerns about beer deliveries. Joan Martin of the Royal Forester on Littledean Hill said they'd been: "Packed out by peole who seemed to be off work and filled up the beer garden with their snowboards."

Surprisingly, the award winning Crown at Whitebrook remained fully booked with no no-showers. Becky said: "The roads here aren't too bad, a bit icy but okay."

But with more snow looming, there's growing concern over grit supplies.

Robert Webb, communications manager for Monmouthshire said they'd gritted 3,728 miles in three days, the equivalent of a return trip to Voronezh in Russia. New supplies hadn't arrived and rationing is expected.

Gloucestershire said they'd used 6,000 tonnes of salt in three weeks, promised to refill grit bins across the county and were resorting to using a mix of grit and table salt for the main road network to conserve rock salt stocks.

But reassurances from the county cut little ice with Lydney town councillors who described the state of the roads and pavements as "disappointing" and "an accident waiting to happen."

Mayor, Terry Glastonbury, said: "I can't believe how bad the roads and pavements have become. People are walking in the middle of the road because they can't walk on the pavement."

Cllr Derek Biddle said he was annoyed the pavements in Chepstow had been cleared but not in Lydney.

"If we'd had salt we could have done it ourselves. I telephoned the county and was told there were 1,600 bins and they'd got two men and a lorry to fill them."

•If you can help deliver meals on wheels, get in touch with Kim Worgan on 01594 827927 (day) or 824640 (evening).