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Buckie break brings smiles for Chernobyl kids


By Alan Beresford

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THE weather may not have been very summery last week but there were plenty of sunshine smiles on the go when a group of youngsters from Belarus visited Buckie.

This, however, was no ordinary trip for the 18 strong group of children aged between seven and 12 – all of them live in areas of the former Soviet state blighted by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster in 1986.

Although the ill-fated power plant is in fact in Ukraine, around 60-70 per cent of the fallout fell on a wide area of sleepy agricultural land in Belarus to the north. To this day, the population there have to deal with the long-term health and economic effects of radioactive contamination in the water, food and even the very air they breathe.

As part of their month-long stay in Moray courtesy of the charity Friends of Chernobyl's Children Moray, the kids will have the the chance to live and exercise in a clean environment while seeing some of the sights and having fun at the same time.

On Tuesday Buckie was on the itinerary, with a visit to Buckie Pottery run by Tania Kucharski.

She said: "This is actually my second year working with the children; last year they couldn't make it to Buckie so I went to them.

"I'm delighted they managed down this year. In the morning they each painted a little bowl, which were all different and beautiful, and these were fired and glazed.

"After lunch, they all painted a mug each.

"They all really applied themselves and enjoyed it, they were very enthusiastic and did a good job. This was something a bit different and something you don't get to do very often – after all, not everyone has a kiln, I suppose!"

Ms Kucharski added that she first became involved with the project thanks to a neighbour who was involved with the Moray branch of the charity.

Accompanying the youngsters, along with two interpreters, were Friends of Chernobyl's Children Moray volunteers Peter Netherton and Elaine White, who along with a host of other families were hosting the Belarussian guests in their homes for the duration of their stay.

Mr Netherton, who has been involved with the group for the past five years, hailed the level of support the children had received.

"The people and businesses of Moray have been fantastic, absolutely magnificent not just this year but over the last five years we have been doing this," he continued.

"The kids have had a whale of a time, you can see them growing in confidence. It makes a huge difference to them being able to eat good food, breathe fresh air and meet friends.

"Hosting these kids is a very rewarding experience, they're great and are really interested in everything they do and see. They also get to learn a bit of English, too, which helps give them extra life choices.

"It's a window on another world for them and also a chance for us to look into theirs, too. As you see them over a number of years you have the chance to form bonds with them."

Mr Netherton added that as children normally come for a maximum of five years as part of the programme, for many in this contingent this year would be their last.

For more information on the work of Friends of Chernobyl's Children Moray, which was formed in 2015, visit their website at www.foccmoray.com


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