WHEN blizzards paralysed the Westcountry last week, thousands of workers opened their doors, saw up to 22 inches of snow, and went back to bed.

Heroic postman John Harris had other ideas. Treacherous roads and snowbound homes made it impossible for the army of Royal Mail workers to do their rounds, especially in the countryside.

But Mr Harris, 63, noticed something special in the dark recesses of his postbag: a message from the Queen congratulating a Devon resident on reaching her 100th birthday.

Allowed out for special deliveries only, Mr Harris risked the wrath of the weather and delivered the letter to the snowbound Castle Grove nursing home in Bampton, a rural town seven miles from the Royal Mail delivery office in Tiverton.

Francese Knowles, the recipient, was "thrilled", as were the two generations of her family who travelled from Australia to be at her birthday party on Sunday.

While local people attested Mr Harris's benevolence was typical, the man himself said he was "just doing my job".

The postman handed the Queen's missive to one of the Castle Grove staff, and then dashed off to deliver a second "special" – a bunch of flowers – to a lady elsewhere on the Tiverton beat.

He met Mrs Knowles for the first time yesterday.

"We weren't allowed out for a good part of the week," said Mr Harris, who is originally from Watford, Hertfordshire. "Even the townspeople couldn't get around. The pavements were deadly."

Mrs Knowles, who moved to Devon in the 1960s, thanked Mr Harris for his dedication. "The snow was pretty awful to look at," she said. "I was bewildered – but pleased."

The delivery took place soon after the brutal conditions peaked on Friday morning.

"We were snowed-in on Friday," said Isabelle Kenny, owner of the 25-year-old Castle Grove. "It was so bad the snow plough was out and a lot of our staff couldn't get home."

She added: "In Bampton, a small rural town, we need the postmen. They are exceptional, and this is an example of personal service and doing something above and beyond the call of duty. He could have chosen not to do anything about it."

As for Mr Harris, a postman for 18 years, he remained humble. "I'm not being heroic, but it was driveable. Some of the roads were quite dodgy. I left the letter with the home and went on my merry way. But I heard she was thrilled, and her family from Australia were delighted. I was just doing my job."