A dozen Belarussian children and their helpers are visiting Oakwood Theme Park tomorrow (Saturday) as the finale of a month-long visit to Wales.

The children, aged 10 - 14, have been spending a month with families in the Bridgend area as part of the annual event.

The trip has been organised by the Mid-Glamorgan Chernobyl Children's Lifeline and aims to provide the youngsters with an unforgettable holiday and the chance to spend a little time away from their contaminated homeland.

Oakwood Theme Park's Andy Hygate said: "Many of these young people have suffered terribly and it will be a privilege to welcome them to the park.

"Hopefully they will thoroughly enjoy their time with us and it will provide them with some happy memories to take back to Belarus," he added.

The legacy of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster has left hundreds of thousands of adults and children suffering the problems of radiation fall-out, drinking polluted water and eating food grown in polluted soil.

The 'Rest and Recuperation' scheme gives children affected by the fallout of the Chernobyl explosion the opportunity of a holiday away from the debilitating environment in which they live.

The Chernobyl Children Life Line (CCLL) charity was set up in 1992 by Victor Mizzi to help children suffering from the after-effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the resulting economic situation in Belarus.

It is now a national charity comprising of over 150 local branches or 'links' scattered throughout the UK from Cornwall to the Orkney Islands.

One of the charity's main aims is to bring child victims of the Chernobyl disaster to the UK for recuperative breaks of one month - over 40,000 have been brought over to stay with host families since 1992.

In the summer, when the dust causes radiation levels to rise, it is important for as many children as possible to leave their contaminated homeland for a few weeks of fresh air and clean food.

Doctors in Belarus say that this boosts the children's immune systems for at least two years, helping them to resist, or recover from, serious illness.

It can also significantly reduce the amount of radioactive caesium which has built up in a child's body and each holiday is thought to extend their life expectancy by up to four years.