AN international appeal has been launched by a Lancashire economic development firm to help provide a future for the people of Chernobyl.

Enterprise plc is raising finance for an investment firm to support the launch of new businesses and the creation of jobs in the region, which is still feeling the effects of the nuclear reactor explosion ten years ago.

"For the people who live and work in the shadow of the nuclear power plant, the repercussions of the explosion are still being felt today," said chief executive David Taylor.

"When the nuclear reactors at Chernobyl are closed around the year 2000, the workers face a future that is bleak and uncertain." Enterprise plc first became involved with Chernobyl when it won a European Commission contract to look into the impact of the closure of the nuclear power plant.

As part of that contract, a seed fund of £10,000 was created to support new initiatives but the fund is far too small to cope with the scale of the problem.

"This pilot initiative proved that investing relatively small sums of money in new companies could have a dramatic effect," said Mr Taylor.

"We are now taking the project a stage further by appealing to companies and other organisations to support the Chernobyl Small Enterprise Fund."

Contributions to the fund are being sought on a 'one-off' basis and all money raised will go directly to fund investment in small businesses.

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