Around 15 children from Grodno in Belarus are enjoying the trip of a lifetime in Radlett.

Grodno, a town on the border of Belarus, Lithuania and Poland, is contaminated with fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and members of the Radlett and Bushey Reform Synagogue arranged the trip to improve the children's health.

The children are staying with families from the synagogue, and will benefit from fresh air, uncontaminated food and activities that most British children take for granted.

Since the disaster rates of thyroid cancer in Belarus have increased by 2,400 per cent.

Life expectancy has dropped to 69, and the British Government still advises travellers to avoid dairy produce, mushrooms, fruit and water, as they are often contaminated.

The town's tiny Jewish community has additional problems. During the Holocaust 44,000 Jews from Grodno were executed, and today's community is made up of the 180 who survived.

Anti-Semitism is still a problem, and Jews only recently started exercising their new-found right to worship, which was prohibited under communism.

Grodno's Menorah community was formed in 1996, and twinned with Radlett and Bushey Reform Synagogue's community in 1997.

Michael Kemerov, the executive director of the Union of Progressive Judaism in the Republic of Belarus, accompanied the children to Radlett.

He said the trip had given them their first chance to experience religious freedom.

"We have the possibility to show the children the standard of life in Europe, and how the Jewish live in Europe. It is very important.

"They have been to synagogue, and they were shown around the Cathedral in St Albans. We wanted the children to see the freedom there is here."

Before the children arrived scores of individuals and businesses across Radlett donated money and free services, to make the trip fun and informative.

Tennis lessons, haircuts and fruit were given, along with subsidised rail travel.

Liena Janit Skaya said her favourite part of the trip had been days out at Madam Tussauds and Buckingham Palace, adding that she had enjoyed learning more about Jewish culture and history.

Vadim Soigoildoik said he had learnt a great deal, and enjoyed riding through London on an open-top tour bus.

Paul Janes, chairman of the project to bring the children to Radlett, said the trip was going better than he had hoped, and that he planned to bring another group of children to Radlett next year.

Susan Zonneveld, the vice chairman of Radlett's branch of the charity Jewish Chernobyl Children, said: "The trip is making a real difference to their health, they are already looking better."

July 3, 2002 14:30