A DECADE ago the world was rocked by the worst ever nuclear accident when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor went into meltdown, spewing out a vast cloud of radiation.

People all over the world were gripped by panic as the radioactive clouds threatened to pour their poison from the skies.

Here in East Lancashire milk supplies were tested for radiation levels and anxious farmers, pregnant women and parents jammed the switchboards of the Agriculture Ministry demanding information. But the panic soon died down and other disasters filled the headlines.

Chernobyl was soon no more than a distant memory.

But in 1993 children from the troubled country began arriving in East Lancashire.

Burnley-based Chernobyl Children's Lifeline and Blackburn-based Friends of Chernobyl's Children have brought hundreds of youngsters for a holiday and a breath of clean East Lancashire air.

Today Olwyn Keogh from the Friends of Chernobyl's Children tells us why she was moved to help the forgotten children of Chernobyl. "The whole situation is just pitiful and there is no end in sight for thousands of years.

"Everything is contaminated - the air, food and water, nothing is safe, even the clothes people wear contain high levels of radiation.

Since the accident cancer in children has gone up by 800 per cent and cancer of the thyroid has gone up by 3000 per cent.

Children have been born with horrendous defects and no-one knows what the effects on the next generation will be.

Olwyn knows some people believe it is cruel to bring children to England and give them a brief taste of things they will never enjoy at home.

But she disagrees: "The health benefits of these trips have been proven time and time again.

"Just by coming here and breathing clean air, eating uncontaminated food and getting proper health checks gives them an extra fighting chance.

Olwyn, who was recently recognised as Great Harwood and Rishton Soroptimist's Woman in the Community, experienced life in Mogilev, near Minsk where most of the Chernobyl refugees live when she visited last August.

"It was horrendous, far worse than I expected.

"People grow beautiful fruit and vegetables, and they have to eat them because they have nothing else, but they are literally eating poison. "And the people are so repressed, they walk around with their heads down all the time.

"A lot of the children we deal with live with elderly grandparents because many of their parents are alcoholics who have abandoned their children.

There is also an incredibly high suicide rate because they just cannot cope."

Olwyn and her volunteers work tirelessly to raise funds for the trips.

She said: "It costs £6,000 to bring a group of 30 children over here.

"Then when they are here the host families feed and look after them but we rely on local businesses and organisations both to donate clothes and vitamin tablets and also to help with the day trips.

"Local businesses have been really supportive.

"We have been given numerous free eye and dental checks, not to mention the shoes, clothes, meals, coach trips and days out we get given.

"It is difficult to keep going back to the same people but we desperately want to keep these trips going.

"I know there are other terrible tragedies happening in the world all the time but we can't turn our backs on Chernobyl.

"The people there have still got a very, very long time to live with what has happened."

Anyone who wants to support the charity can contact Olwyn on 01254 248966.

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