'Angel' midwife Wendy Warrington returns to help refugees in Ukraine and Poland
Wendy Warrington speaks to Correspondent Victoria Grimes via video call from Ukraine.
A midwife from Bury who has dedicated the last year to helping those fleeing war in Ukraine says it's the people she meets who keep her going.
Wanda Warrington, known as Wendy, spent an initial three weeks working as a volunteer medic in Przemysl - a short distance from the Polish-Ukrainian border in March 2022.
Granada Reports joined her in March and April 2022 to film her at work.
Since then, Wendy has made seven trips to Poland and Ukraine, giving up her job in the UK to devote her time to pregnant women and new born babies, often in urgent need of medical assistance.
The qualified nurse and midwife, from Tottington, speaks fluent Polish and says she felt 'compelled' to help Ukrainians fleeing the terrors of bombs and shelling as a result of Russia's invasion of their country.
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She has been involved in setting up ante and post natal clinics in both Poland and Ukraine.
"We're seeing people who have been displaced by the war at the clinics in both Przemysl and also in Lviv."
"There are a lot of women in the shelters who are pregnant or have just given birth.
"It's very difficult - the shelters are overcrowded and people are living in quite poor conditions. We are seeing children who are underweight and in effect, malnourished."
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Wendy's trips to Ukraine have seen her visit some of the areas most badly affected by bombings. She and husband Simon and the team have taken containers filled with food, medical supplies and baby equipment, including a specialist incubator.
Wendy said: "It can be plugged into a car battery, it can go off grid for an hour so it is useful if it needs to be moved rapidly in case of shelling or missile attacks."
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Wendy says she will continue fundraising and delivering aid for as long as she feels she is still helping people:
"It's a very emotional and humbling experience.
"There have been a lot of challenges along the way, but it's the people who keep me going.
"The moment when I see the joy on someone's face when I am able to give them something makes it all worthwhile.
"As long as I feel like I am making a difference, I will continue."
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