Westbury charity's latest appeal (From Wiltshire Times)

Westbury charity's latest appeal

9:00am Monday 15th November 2010 in News By James Williams

A Westbury charity that helps children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month by raising money to replace a school’s minibus.

Adrian and Theresa Walker, both 58, run registered charity Chernobyl Children In Need, which has eight trustees, from their home in Hawkeridge Park, Westbury.

Most of the charity’s work helps those in the region of Ozarichi in Belarus, proving two humanitarian shipments to a year, a sponsorship scheme to help feed and provide respite holidays for Belarussian children, and projects in the area.

Former Royal Engineer Mr Walker said: “We’re in the process of raising funds to replace the school’s minibus.

“It’s primarily for the school’s use but can also be used to take people to hospital appointments.

“We also want to give every child in Ozarichi a bike. Center Parcs have donated us a lot of bikes. It’s very strange going to the village in Belarus and seeing all these Center Parcs bikes going round.”

Talking about when he first set up the charity, Mr Walker said: “When it started I had a little girl aged 13 called Natasha Kunets came to stay for a respite care visit.

“She wanted to stay in the UK to study English and ended up going to Matravers School and she now lives in Warminster.

“I had travelled widely in the former Soviet Union and having been in the army I had a small amount of knowledge on radiation and its effects.

“I then went over to a school in Ozarichi and there wasn’t a toilet. They told me a toilet was ‘just a dream’ so I thought I’d raise money to build one.”

The charity successfully raised money to build a toilet at Ozarichi’s main school and has also undertaken renovations in other schools, hospitals and orphanages.

Last year Chernobyl Children In Need raised £136,841 which helped to feed 300 children at the main school and half the children at the local kindergarten.

Mr Walker said: “In the old days they got a watery soup with a potato – it looks pretty horrid – and a piece of bread. Now they get a proper soup, then meat and two veg followed by a pudding. In the winter they also get a piece of fruit too. They also get seaweed to help their thyroid.”

April 26 next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster and the charity is planning some fundraising events.

For more information about the charity, visit www.ccin.co.uk or call 01373 858584.