NEXT month will be the 21st anniversary of the terrible Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station disaster.

But all these years later children who were not even born when the reactor exploded are still suffering the devastating effects.

The Chernobyl incident was the biggest nuclear accident ever and the wind carried the radiation cloud North over Belarus where 70 per cent of the radiation fell.

Sadly the radiation damage will continue to pose huge problems for the area for thousands of years.

To try to bring a little light into blighted young lives the Chernobyl Children Lifeline Charity brings groups of youngsters over to the United Kingdom, from Belarus, to spend a month with families.

Now an appeal is going out to Bolton families to help the needy children and provide them with somewhere to stay when they come to the town this summer.

The Bolton branch of the charity almost folded recently but, thankfully, a new chairman, Louise Bentley, has been found and it can continue to help the disadvantaged children.

Youngsters are particularly susceptible to radiation-induced illnesses and many children from Belarus have leukaemia, cancer of the thyroid and other cancers.

Life expectancy is short but a month-long break, breathing clean air and eating healthy food, can help to add a couple of years to their short lives.

By getting involved in this charity local families can help bring smiles to the faces of children whose lives have been shattered by sickness and death.

The people of Belarus live with radiation all around them. They drink contaminated water and wash in it. There is very little food in Belarus and what there is has a high chance of being contaminated.

Families are barely able to afford to buy food and children suffer health problems from a shortage of vital nutrients and vitamins.

Only five per cent of the children in the Chernobyl region remain healthy and the population has dropped by a million and a half.

Life is not easy in Belarus where inflation in high and many people are close to starvation - surviving only on boiled potatoes.

The children's stay in Bolton gives them the opportunity to see things they would never have the chance to see at home.

They will look, wide-eyed, at motorways, shopping centres and busy town centres and this is the opportunity Bolton families can give to less fortunate youngsters this summer.

Anne and David Thompson open their Chew Moor home to Belarus children each year and are delighted to be doing the same again this year - from July 30 to August 27.

They believe the experience is not only beneficial to the youngsters who stay with them but also helps their two daughters, Katie, eight and Poppy, three.

Anne, aged 44, said: "It is a wonderful experience for all the family and it is lovely to see how happy the children are when they come to stay.

"They are generally far less mature than our children as they really haven't had the experiences our children have so don't mind being placed with children younger than they are."

Trips to Blackpool, the countryside and even to the supermarket are lapped up by the youngsters, who range in age from eight to 14.

Depleted immune systems can be improved dramatically after a month in Bolton and the children return to their homes with smiles on their faces and a chance of a healthier life.

Families do not need to commit themselves to a full month of caring for children - Anne said the group recognised most people could not afford to take more than two weeks off work - but if families could spare a couple of weeks then they would be much appreciated. The children can move on after a fortnight to another family. The charity is also looking for people who can act as "respite carers" for the Bolton families - perhaps taking children for an afternoon out to give their host families a break.

Most families will take in two children. They also hope local groups, organisations and attractions will help to make the children's stay a special one by providing them with fun activities and trips.

Chernobyl Children Lifeline, which is based in Surrey, was set up in 1991 by Victor Mizzi and since 1992 he has brought more than 44,000 children to the UK for the month-long holidays.

l Anyone who feels they can help the charity, in any way, should ring Anne on Bolton 01942 795953.