Chernobyl kids enjoy lifeline trip
Recuperation break boosts their immune systems
Children who are living with the ongoing fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe have been enjoying a holiday in the Stirling area.
Eight youngsters from Belarus and Ukraine who live within a 25 kilometres radius of the stricken nuclear plant arrived on August 24 for a three-week break.
When the power station exploded in April, 1986, it burned for days and left a toxic legacy of radioactive material across Belarus, Ukraine and as far as western Europe including Scotland.
It is estimated that there could be almost 4000 deaths in future as a result of cancers caused by Chernobyl radiation.
And it is thought that 90 per cent of children in the most contaminated areas near the plant could suffer some form of illness or defect by the time they reach adulthood.
The Stirling trip has been made possible by charity fundraising through Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline, which has been operating for 15 years, at a cost of £600 for each child.
Gail MacDonald, who got involved with CCL Forth Valley nine years ago, said: “All the children on the holiday have been affected in some shape or form by the disaster.
“Childhood cancer levels in the Chernobyl area are going through the roof. The children come at the pre-teen age.
“The idea is that three to three and a half weeks will help to reduce [radioactive] caesium in their body enough to boost their immune system for as long as two years.”
Gail also pointed out that since Chernobyl had been the largest employer in the area its demise has also caused economic and social problems.
She said: “There is severe deprivation and poverty. Villages in the area lack basic sanitation. However, education does make a difference.
“That’s why we have put together a full programme for the visit which includes visits to Stirling Castle, Wallace Monument, Engine Shed and Raploch fire station.”
Provost Christine Simpson said: “These children are a stark reminder of the appalling consequences still being felt by families more than 30 years after the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
“I vividly remember news breaking of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Its true horror is illustrated by the fact that, even now, 90 per cent of children from the worst affected parts of Ukraine and Belarus will suffer from some form of illness or deformity by the time they reach adulthood.
“Stirling Council is proud to support the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline charity and it was lovely to witness first-hand the impact of their important work by seeing the joy on the children’s faces.
“Not only are the children having fun but the three weeks breathing clean air and eating uncontaminated food during their stay in Scotland boosts their immune systems, potentially adding two-and-a-half years to their lives.
“I’d like to applaud the host families for opening up their homes to the children because without them this visit would simply not be possible.”