The volunteer who travels more than 40 miles a day to help a Ukraine appeal - and bakes cakes for volunteers when she gets home
and live on Freeview channel 276
Wendy Boulton, 59, has driven from Fence Houses, near Sunderland, to Hartlepool for 5 days to help sort through medical supplies which have been donated to a sorting base at Hogg Global Logistics in Hartlepool.
After a full day of volunteering, she goes home and bakes for three hours. She makes 40 freshly prepared cakes to take to volunteers the next day,
Today, Wendy explained that she did it because ‘it is awful when you see what is happening in Ukraine on television. At one point, I was constantly watching the news and I got myself upset.
"I saw what they were doing in Hartlepool on the news and that they wanted people with medical experience to volunteer.”
Wendy’s background in medical training was ideal and she was soon put in charge of the medicines and supplies which had been donated to Hogg, which is based at the Hartlepower Energy Hub, in Stranton.
But Wendy is loving it and she is loving the warmth of her Hartlepool hosts. "They have welcomed me with open arms and it is like one big family here.”
She has now spent five days of volunteering at Hogg but her superb support does not end there. She explained: “Every other day, I get home at 6pm and start baking. I finally sat down at 9pm after baking 40 cakes the other night.
"I decorate them and I think it cheers people up a bit.”
Wendy’s normal job is working as a self-employed gardener across the North East for her own firm called Wendy The Gardener which she has run for 6 years, but she said: “This is the first time I have volunteered for anything in my life and I am happy I came down to Hartlepool.”
Hogg Global Logistics stepped in to help with a mercy mission for the people of Ukraine when it heard about the plans of Ferryhill man Rob Tocher, who launched the initial plea for donations.
Tens of thousands of items have now arrived and Hogg’s bosses say so many items have been donated that it will take 5 trucks to deliver it – from an original estimate of one at the start of the appeal.
Company director Lyndsay Hogg said: “Wendy has brought the community spirit with her every day. She lets us know the day before she’s bringing cakes and everyone is super excited. To be honest, the days she brings the cakes in we seem to have more volunteers!
"She is such a selfless hard working lady full of love, she has been an asset to have helping us here. We have made a new friend in her.”
