THE Mayor, Cllr Faisal Rashid, and Mayoress Aleeza Rashid are hosting 10 children at the town hall from Belarus and Ukraine whose lives have been affected by the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The children’s four week visit to Warrington has been arranged by Chernobyl’s Children Life Line, based in Burtonwood.
Mayor Rashid said: “It is sad to think that 30 years after that terrible disaster children are still being born affected by the aftermath of the explosion. The Children Life Line group do a great job raising funds to bring the children to stay with host families in our community for four weeks every summer.
“Once again Warrington shows its big heart, reaching out across the world to help and reassure those who have been so sorely affected by disaster.”
There will be nine children aged between 9-11 and one aged 13. Whilst here, the children will be getting dental and eye check-ups along with lots of fun, love and attention.
The children are from the area of Belarus which received over 70 per cent of the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear explosion and which continues to affect the population both young and old. Children are born every year with birth defects and there is a significant increase in the development of cancers.
