Friends of Chernobyl's Children - West Leicestershire

FOCC West Leicestershire is a registered charity providing 4-week respite holidays for disadvantaged children from Belarus, whose lives continue to be adversely affected as a result of the ongoing effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Area: The group is based in the village of Markfield which is located 7.5 miles to the north-west of the city of Leicester, close to Junction 22 of the M1 motorway.

See our catwalk fashion show and get the chance to purchase the latest High Street fashions from all your favourite retailers at a fraction of store prices. Fabulous shoes, handbags, jewellery, accessories and cosmetics also on sale at competitive prices.

Advance tickets £5.00 or £6.00 if paying on the door. Doors open 7pm. Show starts 7.30pm. Licensed bar. Prize Draw.

Tickets available from Sue Platts (01455) 285799 or (07906) 407797 and Pink Confetti, Dunton Road, Broughton Astley.

Each summer we bring a group of children (age 7-13yrs) to West Leicestershire for a 4-week respite holiday. For the duration of their visit, the children stay with a volunteer host family who provide them with a stable, loving home, nourishing food and lots of loving care.

One of the main aims of the visits is to improve the children’s health and wellbeing, and during their stay, they receive essential healthcare including free dental treatment and optical checks, as well as a year’s supply of multivitamins to help boost their immune systems.

During the week, the charity organises a varied programme of activities for the children to enjoy between the hours of 9am and 4pm (approx.). These may be indoor activities based at our day centre in the Markfield Scout Hut, or may be trips out to local attractions.

Over the years, the children have enjoyed many exciting and enjoyable days out including trips to the zoo, theme parks, swimming baths, narrow boat trips, sailing days and many, many more. The children travel with two English speaking interpreters who accompany them each day on the activities programme.

Our visits generally take place in early August each year and we aim to bring each child back to West Leicestershire for five consecutive years. We brought our first group of ten children to Markfield in September 2009. These children were all either 7 or 8 years of age and came from the Mogilev region of Belarus.

After a month of love, care and great fun, the children go home each year having had the holiday of a lifetime. They take with them suitcases bursting at the seams with clothing, vitamins and provisions to help their families. More importantly, they take with them many happy memories and the knowledge that there are people in West Leicestershire who love and care for them.

We are always pleased to hear from anyone who may wish to consider getting involved in any of the following capacities

· Donors of goods/services/activities that will benefit the children during the visit

If you would like to get involved and help us to make a real difference, please do not hesitate to contact our Group Coordinator, John Buckby.

On 5^th August, we welcomed a group of 14 children to Markfield; six of these children were new to the group and were on their first visit to the UK. The remaining eight children were from our original group who first came to Leicestershire in 2009.

Our huge thanks go out to our wonderful host families, volunteers, donors and supporters who have all helped us to make this year’s visit hugely enjoyable for the children and a great success.

The photo gallery below provides a flavour of some of the activities the children have been involved in. Please click on thumbnails to begin.