Viewers of That's Life! provided an amazing response to a special appeal on the programme about the run-down Komso Children's Hospital in St Petersburg. In April, more than 200 of them took time off work, paid their own fares and headed for Russia. Four 27-tonne lorries, packed with vital equipment and supplies, made a separate overland journey under Metropolitan Police escort, braving bandit country where hijacking is common, to rendezvous with the crew of volunteers. Even at the hospital itself, helpers were accosted by the Russian mafia and needed police protection. Presenter Howard Leader accompanied Ann Mackey, the dynamic personality behind the appeal, and her team for this special follow-up report. "We've saved dozens of children's lives," says Mrs Mackey, who packs her own suitcases with medicines and toys for the children. "The staff are skilled but they don't even have the basics, even painkillers."