CHILD victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster are due to visit Wirral for the 'holiday of a lifetime' next month.

A group of youngsters from Belarus will be in the borough from June 2 to 30, on a month-long break away from the radiation that is still present in their country more than 30 years after the explosion.

The annual trip is organised by Wirral Link, part of Chernobyl Children's Life Line (CCLL) and will see the children stay with Wirral people in a bid to boost their health.

During their stay the children will host of activities, including visits to: Knowsley Safari Park, Wirral Metropolitan College for sporting days, Pirates of the Black Pearl in New Brighton and Deeside Ice Rink.

They will go on a tour of Cheshire Ice Cream Farm, spend a weekend at Colomendy Outdoor Pursuits Centre Denbighshire, North Wales, go crab fishing in New Brighton and Swimming at Europa Pool Birkenhead

They will also be given free eye tests by Wirral based Harris Opticians and Orrells Opticians.

Joint chair of CCLL Wirral Link, Lynne McGonigle said: “This is a holiday of a lifetime for these children.

“Eating healthy, non-radioactive food for a month boosts their chances of a healthy future.

“It is good to be able to send them home with the bonus of new glasses for those who need them.

“We are deeply indebted to the management and staff at Harris and Orrells Opticians for their commitment to ensure that our young visitors have the best possible optical treatment whilst they are here.”

Christine Gore, practice manager at Harris Opticians, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be welcoming the children into the practice. It’s so important that they receive fantastic eye care from an early age to ensure it is safeguarded for their future.

“We’ve put together some fantastic goody bags for them including a pair of sunglasses and some little prizes from us so they’ll be taking a bit of the Wirral back with them!”

The life-changing explosion took place on April 26, 1986, when a failed experiment at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine set fire to the reactor core and blew the top off the building.

The wind carried the radiation cloud north over the border into Belarus where more than 60% of the radiation fell.

The ground was heavily contaminated and will continue to be so for thousands of years.

The poisonous radioactive contamination will remain in large parts of Belarus and Ukraine for thousands of years.

Children are particularly susceptible to radiation induced illnesses and many have leukaemia, cancer of the thyroid and other cancers.

A month in Britain - where they can eat cleaner food, breathe cleaner air and build up strength - can greatly improve life expectancy Hence there is an on-going need for the work that this local charity has been doing each year for more than 20 years.

Whilst enjoying a holiday of a lifetime, the boys and girls visiting the Wirral at the age of 9 to 11 get the opportunity to spend a vital month away from the radio-active contamination in their homeland to help develop crucial immunities for their adolescent years.