Cross the Bay and help Friends of Chernobyl’s Children

On 12th May 2019 FOCC Lancaster will be taking part in a Cross Bay Walk from Arnside to Kents Bank to raise much-needed funds.

The walk is can be up to 10 miles, strenuous, involving crossing mud flats and gullies. Join them on this iconic walk. Adults £15, children 11 years+ are £2. To book go to  https://mydonate.bt.com/events/crossbaywalk/488847 or phone 07854 597185 or email [email protected]  for further information. They can also be found on Facebook.

Friends of Chernobyl’s Children is a charity which provides respite holidays for groups of 7-11-year-old children from needy families from contaminated areas in Belarus, suffering from the economic and social impact of the Chernobyl disaster. Most of the children have no running water or proper sanitation, living in wooden homes in villages with several generations in one or two rooms. Temperatures go down to -30 Celsius in winter.

The children visit the UK for one month every summer on a five-year programme, staying with local host families. While in the UK, they enjoy clean air, fresh water and a good diet in contrast with their food at home which is often contaminated. This boots their shattered immune system. They get to see a dentist and optician during their stay and take part in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities and trips. Two interpreters travel with the children and spend the following month providing support to both the children and host families.

This year the children are in Lancaster from 1st June until 29th June. There are have 16 children in the group this year, 2 children are on their first year of the programme, and 3 are on their last year. It costs £600 per child for airfares and visas. There are lots of other costs such as hire of a minibus for the month, the cost of trips out, etc. The children’s visit is very much a community effort with lots of local people, schools, businesses helping out, offering activities and trips, free food and milk.

The charity is entirely run by volunteers so all money gets used to finance the children’s visits.  There are lots of different ways you could help the charity:

• Sponsor a child or activity
• Donating food  items for the children’s residential stay during their visit (fruit juice, cereals, tins)
• The Lancaster group is looking for somebody who would be interested in helping with social media and publicising events
• New host families are needed for the 2021 visit
• Are you interested in a talk about the charity at school, community groups or church?
• Donation of good quality children’s clothing (6-14 years)
• Organise a fundraising event

If you can help or would like further information, please contact Jo Thornton, Group Coordinator on joann[email protected] or 07508631228.