Celebrating 30 years of giving hope to the children of Belarus 

Glossop couple David and Linda Walker founded the Chernobyl Children’s Project in 1995, determined to make a difference to children suffering in the aftermath of disaster.

In April 1986, a routine safety test at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant went catastrophically wrong. A reactor exploded, sending plumes of radioactive material across large parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. It was one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. 

Children were among the hardest hit. Rates of thyroid cancer and leukaemia soared, and many developed long-term immune problems. In the years that followed, babies were more likely to be born with birth defects or developmental delays. Beyond the physical toll, the disaster left deep psychological scars. Families were displaced, schools closed and whole communities were disrupted. Many children grew up in the shadow of anxiety, trauma and loss. 

For Glossop couple David and Linda Walker, the images of children suffering in the aftermath of the disaster were impossible to ignore. In 1995 they founded the Chernobyl Children’s Project (UK) (CCP), determined to make a difference. This year, the charity celebrates its 30th anniversary. 

“Our launch event was at Manchester Town Hall in January 1995” Linda recalls. “By April we had delivered our first ambulance to Belarus. That summer we welcomed our first group of children for a recuperative holiday in Glossop and Littleborough, and by autumn we had sent a 40-foot trailer of aid to Belarus.” 

After such a determined start, the charity grew quickly. Over the last three decades, CCP has hosted more than 5,000 children for four-week recuperative holidays in the UK, delivered hundreds of lorry-loads of humanitarian aid and supported thousands of families in Belarus - particularly in the heavily contaminated Gomel region. 

The holidays proved to be life-changing. Belarusian doctors told Linda that four weeks of clean food, fresh air and care could boost a child’s immune system for up to two years, giving them a better chance to resist illness or relapse. The psychological benefits were equally powerful. Children and teenagers formed lifelong friendships, gained confidence and returned home with renewed hope. 

(Photo: Having fun in Manor Park, Glossop)

CCP brought groups of children with cancer in remission, children with diabetes or heart conditions and young people with disabilities. Some were very young and travelled with their mothers, who themselves had endured enormous stress and welcomed the respite. 

“Every summer until 2019 we organised holidays in Britain,” Linda explains. “For children whose disabilities made travel difficult, we funded holidays in clean parts of Belarus. Whatever their circumstances, these children left with positive memories, and health benefits, that lasted for years.” 

While holidays were the most visible part of CCP’s work, they were only one strand of a much wider effort. 

In Minsk in 1997, CCP began working closely with Children in Trouble, a parent-led cancer charity, helping to provide medicines when Belarusian hospitals could not, funding holidays for children in remission, and offering support for families during treatment. 

In Gomel, CCP partnered with the charity ‘Supporting Children Together’, to coordinate projects across the region. Their work included sending humanitarian aid, supporting families in crisis, and ensuring children with disabilities were not forgotten. 

CCP has been a consistent advocate for those with disabilities, challenging the widespread institutionalisation of children in Belarus. Early visits to institutions such as the Zhuravichi Boarding Home revealed bleak conditions: children confined to cots, lacking education, toys, or wheelchairs. Over time, they have helped fund teachers, carers, equipment and training and lobbied for change. Eventually, the Belarusian Education Ministry adopted the principle that all children should be educated - a major step forward. 

(Photo: Linda Walker with children at the cancer hospital)

In 2004, at Special School No. 5 in Gomel, CCP installed ramps, widened doors and provided a minibus to support children with disabilities who were marginalised in society. From 2015 they organised training to help develop classes for children with autism and ADHD. At Rechitsa Boarding Home, volunteers ran activities in the summer and the charity funds staff to help young people with physical disabilities learn life skills. 

The charity also pioneered family-style care. Family Home 2000 in Klimovka provided a nurturing environment for young people with spina bifida, cerebral palsy and other disabilities, teaching them independence after childhoods in institutions. They had fun learning how to read and cook for themselves. 

Similarly, Rodni Kut in Rogachev gave five children from Zhuravichi the chance to grow up together with carers and a foster father. “It has always been clear that children thrive best in families,” Linda says. “We wanted to show it was possible in Belarus, too.” 

One of the children was Nazar, who had severe cerebral palsy. He thrived in the warmth of this family environment. Over the years, he became a cherished member of the Walker family too, spending many Christmases with them in the UK. He later returned to celebrate his 25th birthday with Linda’s daughter Helena and grandchildren. Sadly, Nazar died suddenly in 2022, leaving his extended British and Belarusian families heartbroken. His story stands as a powerful reminder of how much difference a loving home can make - even when life is short. 

(Photo: 'Rodni Kut' - the family home in Belarus for children with disabilities)

Alongside direct care, CCP invested heavily in training professionals - teachers, carers, social workers and medical staff. From 2000 onwards, training programmes funded by the UK Department for International Development, UNICEF and the British Embassy helped transform attitudes to childcare in Belarus. Foster care became more widely adopted, orphanages began to close and practices around disability support improved. 

Hospice care was another area where CCP made an impact. In partnership with Anna Gorchakova, founder of the Belarusian Children’s Hospice, CCP established a home hospice team in Gomel in 2000, bringing palliative care to families with children facing terminal or life-limiting conditions. The charity funded staff, supported training in the UK and helped spread hospice care throughout Belarus. 

Medical links also flourished. CCP arranged for Belarusian surgeons to visit UK hospitals, funded specialist equipment such as urodynamic testing machines, and supported operations for children who could not receive the care they needed at home. 

In 2004, the charity opened the Mayflower Respite Centre in Gomel. For the first time, parents of children with disabilities were able to leave their sons and daughters in a safe, supportive environment while they took a much-needed break or attended to work and family commitments. The centre quickly became a lifeline, offering short-term care, activities and therapies, and a model for day care centres in other parts of Belarus.  

CCP’s work has always been strengthened by volunteers. Each summer for more than a decade, groups of British volunteers travelled to Zhuravichi, Rechitsa and other institutions, bringing activities, friendship and joy. Others joined children and young adults with disabilities at summer camps in the clean countryside at Ptich Sanatorium, where they organised discos, craft sessions and games. For many volunteers, it was a life-changing experience - for the young people, it was often the happiest time of their year. 

Over 30 years, CCP has been shaped by the dedication of countless supporters. Among the most important were Mags and Ken Whiting, who led early aid convoys, coordinated the Glossop group for two decades and were Trustees of the charity. Both passed away in 2023 and are deeply missed. 

(Photo: Mags and Ken Whiting with their grandson before they drove their first ambulance to Belarus in 1995)

Linda’s husband David Walker, a founder of the charity who designed and oversaw many of its projects in Belarus, died in 2022. “Their legacy lives on in every child we have helped” Linda says. 

The next generation has also carried the torch. Linda and David’s daughter, Helena, volunteered in Belarus 11 times over the summer, and also coordinated the Glossop and New Mills group for four years after Mags and Ken retired, continuing her parents’ work with the same passion and commitment. 

(Photo: Helena at an institution in Belarus)

The war in Ukraine has made it impossible to bring children to the UK or send volunteers to Belarus in recent years. But CCP’s support on the ground continues through its partners, particularly Supporting Children Together. “We are determined to carry on” Linda says. “The children and young people we work with still need us, perhaps more than ever.” 

As it marks its 30th anniversary, CCP is appealing for donations to sustain its work: 

• £10 provides a gift for a child in hospital or hospice. 

• £25 supplies art materials for children in institutions. 

• £50 covers two weeks’ salary for a carer for disabled young people. 

• £100 supports a psychologist working with foster families. 

To donate, visit www.chernobyl-children.org.uk or send a cheque to Chernobyl Children’s Project, Kinder House, Fitzalan Street, Glossop, SK13 7DL. 

“Thousands of children’s lives have been touched over the past 30 years,” Linda reflects. “We could never have done it without the kindness and generosity of so many supporters, including the many families in Glossopdale who have hosted children and helped us raise funds. Together, we’ve helped children grow up healthier and happier.” 

This article only scratches the surface of the amazing work that the Chernobyl Children’s Project has carried out over the last 30 years. To read more visit their website above. 

(Photo: A Glossop Chronicle article from December 2022)