THE aftermath of Chernobyl's nuclear disaster almost two decades ago lingers on, but one Evesham group is offering survivors a ray of hope.

Members of the Vale of Evesham Chernobyl Children's Project (UK) arranges annual visits for the children of those left behind. The Ukrainian town and its surrounding areas still have massively high contamination levels and the trips offer residents exposure to clean air and healthy food.

The group is looking for host families for mothers and their children, aged between four and seven, for this year's two-week stay from July 23 to August 6. Each host will look after a mother and one child during their stay and will be able to accompany them on various outings.

Group member Jenny Powis has recently returned from an eight-day trip to Chernobyl, where she witnesses first-hand the disaster's devastating and long lasting effects. She said: "We paid a lot of visits to a lot of different places - homes for the disabled, schools, rehabilitation centres and hospitals.

"The effects of what happened in 1986 have not gone away. The frightening statistic that stays with me is that of the children born there, only 10 per cent are born normally. The mothers would probably have been children themselves at the time of the explosion. A lot of them have got cancer and a lot miscarry anything up to five months.

"We visited one school about 30 miles from Chernobyl and it was a deprived area. I asked what the contamination level was and they told me it was 35 per cent, which they considered to be quite low.

"There's not a case of the rich and the poor because none of the people there are well-off. The town people have to spend most of their money on rent and they don't have money at the end of the month for anything else.

"Our group brings mothers and children over to this country. We take them out and give them as much fresh air, food and sunlight as possible. They always bring an interpreter who is always available if there is a crisis. On a day when no activities are planned they will always meet up with other group members.

"There is no ideal host family for this project, we are just looking for someone who would like to do it. Those who do will have the satisfaction of giving someone a nice time and seeing their health improve. The people who come are always nice and they always enjoy their time here."

The group would also be interested in hearing from friends who would like to share the responsibility of being a host family. The visitors must stay at the same home throughout their trip, but the friends could share the number of outings they accompany them on.

For more information about becoming a host family, contact Jenny Powis on 01386 792909.