A former Green Party candidate for Wiltshire Council local elections has launched a new initiative to help staff nursing Covid-19 patients at Bath's Royal United Hospital.

Tina Johnston, who farms a smallholding at Merkin Farm in Box, has launched #CookingForCarers to provide free hot meals to doctors and nurses, paramedics and other staff at their end of their shifts.

She has mobilised an army of more than 30 volunteers in the Box and Corsham areas to help cook the home-made meals.

Ms Johnston, 54, said: "I set up #CookingForCarers on January 8 to provide the hot meals for RUH staff nursing the Covid patients.

"I have a friend who works there on one of the wards and asked if they would like me to cook them some dinners.

"She was so delighted that we did and I came up with the idea of #CookingForCarers and already have an army of volunteers who are happy to help out."

The volunteers are all self-funded and are cooking the meals at their own expense for staff on two wards dealing with Covid patients.

"The last thing the staff want to do at the end of a long 12-hour shift is to go home and cook themselves a meal," Ms Johnston said.

"We are delivering 16 meals a day on a rota basis, and are already full up until the end of February.

"We are following good food hygiene standards and Covid-19 restrictions.

"We take the meals to the hospital and then a member of staff comes down to collect them."