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'I wanted an ambulance for my 70th - not a spa day'

Isabella Boneham,West Midlandsand
Vic Minett,BBC CWR
Sharon Maxted A person wearing a blue Soroptimist International T-shirt and a "70 & Fabulous" sash stands beside a white ambulance, holding a sign that reads "Ambulance Aid for Ukraine". The ambulance is parked on a gravel driveway in a residential area, with trees and houses visible in the background.Sharon Maxted
Sharon will drop off the ambulance with the supplies near Ukraine and fly back home

A woman from Kenilworth said her birthday wishes came true when she got an ambulance for her 70th birthday.

Rather than more jewellery or a spa day, Sharon Maxted said she wanted do "something special" to mark turning 70 in June and she will now be driving an ambulance full of medical supplies, warm clothes and a mobility scooter to Ukraine alongside her husband David.

The pair will set off on Friday driving to the east of Poland where they will drop off the ambulance with the supplies and fly back home.

"My husband said he would only buy me one if I agreed to drive it which was a bit of a shock to the system and I am a bit worried as we have had an automatic car for five years," Sharon said.

"I have downloaded 17 hours of 1970s music, and I will be singing along to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now," she added.

The idea came about through her husband David's work with Kenilworth Lions, which partners with Leamington-based charity Belvedere that provides humanitarian aid to people affected by the war in Ukraine, including ambulances, medical equipment and supplies.

Sharon Maxted A person in a blue T-shirt sits in the driver's seat of a white ambulance, looking out through the open side window. The vehicle features green and yellow emergency service markings and a sticker reading "Ambulance Aid for Ukraine" on the door panel. Trees and a residential property can be seen in the background.Sharon Maxted
Sharon will be driving across Europe to Ukraine alongside her husband David

David, who has already done two trips himself to Ukraine driving an ambulance with medical supplies, said the trips were "always very worthwhile".

Sharon will be driving the charity's 70th ambulance to Ukraine since the war broke out.

She told BBC CWR that she is a bit worried about driving the vehicle through Europe, but her husband had assured her the journey was mostly on the motorway.

Sharon Maxted A person wearing a blue Soroptimist International T-shirt and a red knit hat stands in a dining room beside a large table piled high with folded clothing, blankets and bags of donated items. Wooden chairs surround the table, while cabinets, bookshelves and wooden double doors are visible in the background. The room appears to be being used to sort and organise supplies for donation.Sharon Maxted
Sharon said she was "tearful" at the number of donated clothes that she will be taking to Ukraine

Sharon said she had received many clothes donations that she would be taking in her ambulance from the Kenilworth Lions and from a feminist group she was part of, Soroptimist International of Kenilworth and District, which is focused on improving the lives of women and girls.

"I have been quite tearful on occasion with just how generous people are who have donated, there have even been barely worn garments – it is amazing what people have contributed."

Their daughter Claire said she was "very proud" of how her parents "give so much back to their communities and do their bit to change peoples' lives for the better".

"It is our 50th wedding anniversary next year so who knows what mischief we might get up to," Sharon said.

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