Over the past eight years, the Trust has arranged respite holidays for groups of Belarusian children in our local area.  The children come in the summer when the dust causes radiation levels to rise.  Medical opinion is that the few weeks of fresh air and uncontaminated food and water can provide a two year boost to their immune systems, helping them to resist or recover from serious illness.  Levels of radioactivity stored in the child’s organs can also fall dramatically in a one month period.

Outings and activities are arranged to entertain the children and encourage outdoor activities.  We are indebted to local organisations such as the Lions and Rotary groups who generously sponsor or organise trips to local attractions. Host Families are the vital link, they provide a home environment with good basic food for children who may not speak any English and may never have been away from home before. It can be very rewarding to watch the children grow stronger and more lively as the holiday progresses.  It can also be a great learning experience for children of a host family to appreciate a very different world and culture and to share their own good fortune.  

If you would like to consider becoming a host family or would just like to know more about hosting, please contact  Yvonne Burdge at trust4cc@aol.com or on 01892 723391.