The Mancunian Way: Not a hero, but not a wimp

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Here's the Mancunian Way for today: Hello, This week marks a year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here in Greater Manchester, many families have welcomed Ukrainian refugees into their homes, or have visited the war-torn country themselves to offer aid.

Among them is 56-year-old Wendy Warrington, from Bury, who has been to Ukraine several times since the invasion began. The nurse and midwife visited Przemysl, in Poland, on March 13 last year before crossing into Ukraine for the first time within a week.

While there she delivered an ambulance to Mariupol and aid to Lviv and helped with the evacuations of adults and children. Trips to various parts of the country have become a regular part of life for Wendy - who says her Polish language skills and her medical background have been of huge benefit during her visits. "I got chatting to a Polish paramedic one day who was involved with taking ambulances over the border," she told the PA news agency. "He was looking for medication and we struck up a friendship and I started driving with him in an ambulance over the border, doing evacuations of children and adults and taking them to hospitals in Poland or offering medical assistance, and it evolved into a community midwife role.” Wendy says having a strong support network at home can help when you are exposed to the horrors of war. “Working in the NHS for over 30 years really helped me because you deal with death and bereavement,” she says. “I had really good support from my family - my husband really lives through it