Westbury visit for Chernobyl children

A GROUP of eight children, who live in an area of the Ukraine contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster, are staying with families in Westbury for a recuperative holiday.

Every year, the Chernobyl Children’s Life Line charity brings youngsters affected by radiation from the 1986 nuclear accident at the Chernobyl power station to Britain.

Families in Westbury have been hosting children from Belarus and the Ukraine for 18 years and the Westbury branch of the charity has been busy raising funds to pay for this year’s group of six girls, two boys and an accompanying adult.

The cost of their visit – air fares being the biggest expense – is raised through donations, helped by local organisations such as the Rotary Club and by holding supermarket collections and Christmas raffles.

The children, aged 12, are from Borodyanka, a town around 50 miles from the reactor site where many Chernobyl evacuees were resettled.

Steve Lloyd, chair of Chernobyl Children’s Life Line (West Wilts Link) explains, “Doctors say taking a short break from radioactive surroundings and breathing fresh air and eating uncontaminated food boosts the children’s immune systems, helping them to resist serious illnesses such as cancer and increasing their life expectancy by about two and a half years.

“As dental and eye care are difficult to access in their home town and beyond the means of many of their parents, the children have been visiting Westbury Dental Care and Haine & Smith opticians, which have kindly donated their services. Dentists in the UK are often shocked by the state of the visiting children’s teeth, with multiple abscesses commonplace, while opticians find they are wearing glasses with wrong or outdated prescriptions.”

The children are also taking part in a programme of activities including horse riding, sailing, ten-pin bowling, crafts, pizza-making and a visit to the local fire station. All are provided free by local companies.

Steve continued, “Although the children speak little or no English, they manage to communicate using gestures and make friends with local children quickly through playing and doing crafts together. Many of them become close to their hosts, nicknaming them “UK Mum and Dad”. Meanwhile, host families find the experience very rewarding and say it makes them appreciate how privileged their own lives are.

“Children living near the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine and Belarus grow up with the threat of serious illness due to radioactive elements affecting their immune systems – up to 70 per cent of which are absorbed through food. As a result they are prone to developing thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukaemia, as well as other health disorders such as digestion problems, chronic bronchitis and heart, liver and kidney dysfunctions.

“Children are more vulnerable than adults to radioactive elements and a four-week respite break in a healthy environment reduces contamination levels inside their bodies and allows their immune systems to recover.

“Figures compiled by Chernobyl Children’s Life Line and the Independent Institute for Radioactive Safety in Belarus revealed children “offloaded” an average of 82 per cent of contamination during their stay in the UK.”

To find out more about the charity’s work visit ccll.org.uk or to find out more about the children’s visit to Westbury, contact Steve on 01373 822148.