A Bury grandmother has been delivering a “bit of Christmas cheer” to children living in underground bunkers in Ukraine. Wanda Warrington, known as Wendy, is among a group of UK volunteers who arrived in Ukraine earlier this month to hand over presents to the children.
On December 11, a group of independent volunteers set off to areas in Ukraine, including Irpin and Bucha, to provide children with gifts including crayons, cuddly toys and clothes in time for Saint Nicholas Day, which falls on December 19 and is celebrated in eastern Christian countries. One of the places visited was Saltivka, on the edge of Kharkiv, which suffered heavy missile attacks and where children are still living with their families, as well as an underground metro station.
Children were given presents including chocolate, winter jackets, colouring books and sweets, and even got a surprise visit from a dragon. Wendy, a nurse, midwife and humanitarian aid worker, who organises the visits to Ukraine, said: “My friend Jakub (Sochujko), who is a Polish volunteer from Cornwall but is based in Kharkiv, dressed up in a dragon outfit and was entertaining the kids.”
