The Dear Wendy advice column was loved by a generation of ECHO readers
Wendy Allen, the former ECHO agony aunt, pictured in 1984(Image: Handout)
Wendy Allen, the ECHO’s much-loved former agony aunt, has died at the age of 88. Wendy wrote the ECHO’s ‘Dear Wendy’ advice column for over decade, beginning in the late 1980s. She became known for her compassion, warmth and good old-fashioned common sense.
In a tribute to her mum, Wendy’s daughter, Sarah Lawson, told the ECHO that Wendy was a “feisty but kind” lady who “knew her own mind and was always interested in people”. Sarah said: “My mother had a very long and full life, and it was relatively exciting one.”
Wendy was born Mary Clementine Boizot in Peterborough in 1936. From an early age, her brother Peter called her Wendy after the Peter Pan character and the nickname stuck. Peter would go on to found the restaurant chain Pizza Express in 1965.
Wendy married her late husband, David, at the age of 18 and they had two children – Sarah and Matthew. For many years, the couple lived in Middlesbrough, where Wendy worked as a probation officer. During her time in the north east, she set up one of the country’s first prisoners’ wives groups to help people with husbands or partners who were in prison.
Wendy and David later moved to Lancaster, where she was appointed assistant chief probation officer for Lancashire. After that, she decided to go into marriage counselling, later becoming regional officer for the Marriage Guidance Council, which is now known as Relate.
A chance meeting led to an unusual career change for Wendy. At a party in the late 1980s, she met Chris Oakley, then editor of the ECHO, and became friendly with him. Sarah told us: “The ECHO had never had an agony aunt before, and the editor thought she would be a good choice for the role. It was a step into modern day living.”
Wendy Allen pictured at her restaurant Pizza Margherita in 2015(Image: Handout)
According to Sarah, Wendy adored her new job, and was well-suited to it. “She always loved getting people’s problems and seeing how she could help them,” said Sarah. “She used to say that while we think ours is the biggest problem in the world – and it might seem like that at the time – there are always people worse off.
“She used to ask my advice on some of the problems, as she realised I was of the younger generation and there were lots of younger people writing in. She also asked my dad and brother for their points of view, just to get a man’s perspective on certain issues.”
Sarah told us Wendy worked from home on her advice columns. “It drove us all to distraction,” she said, laughing. “I lived at home at the time, and her copy was always due by 9am on a Thursday morning, but instead of finishing it the night before, she’d get up at 5am to do it. She’d say, ‘I know what I’m doing’, but it used to make us nervous.”
When her husband died in 1994, Wendy’s enthusiasm for writing advice columns waned, and by the end of the decade she stopped writing for the ECHO. But rather than staying at home, Wendy embraced the Boizot family trade: pizza making.
In 1979, Wendy and David had opened a pizza restaurant named Pizza Margherita in Lancaster. Her retirement from the ECHO gave her more time to focus on the business. Two years ago, Wendy remarried at the age of 86 and tied the knot with Dr Anthony Ellis, 90.
According to Sarah, she never lost her skill for helping people. “You couldn’t take the social worker out of her,” said Sarah. “She was always keen to help anyone – to listen to their problems and help where she could.” Wendy’s advice for a happy marriage was “don’t let the sun go down on your wrath” and to “choose your battles wisely”.
Wendy died on December 30, 2024, after a short illness. She is survived by her two children, four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and her husband Anthony. Her funeral service will be held at Lancaster Priory at noon on Friday, January 17.