A GROUP of 10 youngsters affected by the Chernobyl disaster have been enjoying a special holiday in Worcestershire.

The children from villages in Belarus have been staying with families in Malvern.

Families host two children as part of the Chernobyl Children Lifeline charity’s work.

This is the sixth year the Malvern committee has hosted a visit, with 10 youngsters arriving each year for a recuperative break.

Thanks to rail operator London Midland, the children enjoyed a range of day trips during their stay, including a day on the river and visits to restaurants and popular tourist attractions.

Richard Brooks, head of station services for London Midland, presented the youngsters with chocolates and organised tickets for them to travel to Worcester and enjoy a trip on the river Severn.

They also received travel passes to Birmingham for a visit to the Sea Life Centre.

“We were delighted to help,” he said. “This is a wonderful charity and it’s uplifting to see these youngsters experiencing a different culture and forgetting some of the difficulties back home.”

Malvern group committee member the Rev Jim Knights said the children had enjoyed a “tremendous time” in Malvern.

“It’s an opportunity for them to have a break and see some of our splendid countryside,” he said. “They’re really enjoying their time here.”

Group leader and interpreter Olga Trukhonovets said the youngsters were happy and had really benefited from the break.

“There have been so many activities that most of them are tired, but very happy,” she said.

Belarus, where the charity’s work is focused, received 70 per cent of the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear explosion in April 1986 and as a result, thousands are born every year with – or go on to develop – thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukaemia.