A dedicated fund-raiser has spoken of her joy at being selected to represent Shotley in next week's Suffolk Relay Festival.

Wendy Sadler, who has lived in Erwarton for 64 years after spending the first 15 years of life in Harkstead, has been nominated by the parish council to join 250 local heroes from across the county to take part in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

She will be carried in a rickshaw from the Corner Garage in Shotley down to Shotley Gate as part of the 288 mile route, from 11.20am on Friday May 20.

"I'm very thrilled and I regard it as a great honour," Wendy told Nub News.

"I'm doing this for everyone in the village because nothing I have done in my life have I done on my own. It has always been with my family and my friends."

As a former lay preacher, district councillor and organiser of a wide range of clubs over the years Wendy has helped raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities and good causes.

Wendy said: "I was once described as having spent my life found raising and that is true. We used to hold jumble sales and barbecues in our garden for the church.

"I wish I had kept a tally but it has been a lot

"I have always had the courage to be an organiser but whoever it is, it can't done it on their own."

Relay rickshaw with volunteers

Although Wendy has done a lot of things in her life, going on a rickshaw will be first for her and she admits to being excited by the challenge.

She added: "I never been in a rickshaw before, of all the places I could have been in one, Shotley has chosen this for me.

"I'm quite looking forward to it, it is an honour."

A self-confessed monarchist, Wendy has drawn inspiration from Queen Elizabeth II over her 70 year reign.

"'I'm very much a royalist," she said. "The queen is the most marvellous lady, as are the majority of the family. She is a wonderful example to us all."

Other torch bearers from the peninsula include Olympian Ethan Waddleton and RHS nurse Deborah Sweeney. 

Ethan won Commonwealth bronze in Australia playing Rugby 7s for England and also represented Great Britain in the 2020 Tokyo Games, held in 2021.

He will be rickshawed through Holbrook from Hyams Lane to the village hall and then on towards Lower Holbrook to pass the torch on.

Ethan will collect the torch from Deborah, who is the sister in charge of the Royal Hospital School

Deborah has worked as a nurse at RHS for 11 years and in Suffolk Accident and Emergency hospitals for many more.

She was in charge of caring for boarding pupils during the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring they were cared for during isolation.

Deborah is a nurse at Royal Hospital School Holbook (Picture credit: Peninsual Nub News)

The Suffolk Festival Torch Relay on its 588-mile journey around Suffolk. Starting in Brandon on Friday 13th May, ending at the Suffolk Show on Wednesday 1st June, to be a centre-piece for the big Jubilee Pageant at the Showground (starting at 4.00pm).

The relay starts 09.00 Friday 13 at Brandon finishing Suffolk Show Ground Trinity Park Wednesday 1 June 18.00

The rickshaw entourage is due to arrive on the Shotley Peninsula on Thursday May 19 when it is carried from Bentley to Brantham where the bearer will take it to Stutton before making the 2.4km journey to Stutton and then onto RHS Holbrook where it will stay overnight.

Deborah sets off from the school at 09,00 on Friday May 20 to hand over to Ethan.

The torch relay will then make its way from Holbrook, through Lower Holbrook on to Harkstead, then Erwarton to Shotley

It will leave Shotley Gate at 12.45 and then go on to Chelmondiston, Freston and Wherstead before making its way to Belstead and end the day in Washbrook by 16.00.

*Let Nub News know about the torch bearer from your village. Contact the editor: [email protected] and we will update the list.

Suffolk torch relay route