SUPPORT is being sought in the Tavistock area for a charity which provides recuperation breaks for the children of Chernobyl — the site of the world's worst nuclear accident 26 years ago.

There are hopes that a West Devon link of the Chernobyl Children's Life Line can be set up in the future, following the latest visit by a group of ten girls to the East Cornwall area.

Since 1991, some 45,000 children from Chernobyl have been brought to the UK by the charity. These three and four-week stays have been proven to increase the children's lifespan by approximately two years.

Radiation from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine, which was the site of an explosion in 1986, continues to cause health problems in children, namely slow development, poor dental health and immune disorders. Children have a ten times higher than normal rate of thyroid cancer.

Chairman of the North Cornwall branch of the charity, Terence Voysey, said: 'The objective is not so much a holiday as recuperation. The children get plenty of fresh air, clean food, see the dentist and have jolly good fun in the bargain.

'These children were not born until some 15 years or so after the nuclear accident happened but still they suffer daily. We aim to send them home in good health with a smile on their faces.

'We have charity links across Cornwall and Devon but Central and West Devon is not really represented and it would be great, given what the area has to offer, if we could actually get public support and set up a new link in the area.'

The charity relies on donations — but also vital are the host families.

'It is a big thing for children of that young age to leave their parents and come here for four weeks, feeling like they have flown halfway around the world and not speaking the language,' added Mr Voysey. 'Good host families make all the difference.'

He said even though the children were relatively healthy now, the sad reality was that most of them would go on and develop cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.

'It has been proven that three or four weeks in the UK normally extends the lifespan of these children by approximately two years. These children live just outside the exclusion zone of the disaster and some of them are carers for family members who are suffering cancer as a result of the radiation,' said Mr Voysey.

During their stay, the children visited Lynbridge Dental Surgery in Tavistock, where they were seen by the dental team.

Lynbridge partner Matthew Brock said: 'All our dentists were involved and we did as much as we could for them in the time we had, which I am sure will help prevent some trouble in the future.

'Some of them had quite poor teeth, certainly we don't see such advanced decay in children their age here, and I think some of them had thyroid problems too, probably because of the radiation.

'I think some of them were a bit apprehensive and there was occasionally a bit of a communication problem, but we took the time to get the rapport going, and I think we all enjoyed our time with them.

'It was a really great experience, we all found it very rewarding, and they were lovely kids.'

Families in the Tavistock area were hosts to children from Chernobyl in the late 1990s, when trips were organised by the Chernobyl Children's Project UK.

The charity's director Linda Walker said: 'A month of fresh air and "clean" food gives a tremendous boost to the children's immune systems. For children who have had cancer or other serious illness it is an important part of their recovery process.

'And for those children who have not had major health problems but are growing up in a contaminated environment, the holiday helps them to resist illness in the future.  

'Families who get involved in hosting the children usually find it a very memorable and rewarding experience. And their own children get a lot of fun out of the holiday, as well as learning to share what they have with others who are less fortunate.'

For more information about the charity or if you would like to support a new link in West Devon contact Terence Voysey on 01208 77689 or go to the national website: http://www.ccll.org.uk/northcornwall">www.ccll.org.uk/northcornwall