Story Group Donate £1000 to Childrens Charity
January 2010
Children from Chernobyl were given an early Christmas present thanks to The Story Group who donated £1,000 to Chernobyl Children's Lifeline.
For children living in the Ukraine life is very different to living in Cumbria. Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and vitamins all have to be imported and every year thousands of children are either born with cancer or go on to develop the disease. Although the cancer treatments have improved, the after care is often lacking and many children die as a result of curable diseases because they are not strong enough to fight them off.
Chrissie McCaffrey from Kirklinton coordinated a trip on behalf of Chernobyl Children's Life Line, which brought 14 children to Carlisle from 19th December to give them a chance to breathe, eat and drink without being poisoned. The health benefits to their immune systems that even a few weeks away from their homes can achieve is remarkable.
This year, as for most fundraising organizations, started with a great deal of gloom and uncertainty as to what support would be available, how much money was in circulation and accessible for fundraising and would there be sufficient host families in a position to host the children that the charity intended to bring. This donation from the Story Group, along with other donations, has been a lifeline and will certainly give children of Chernobyl a better chance at life. Without support from individuals and businesses like the Story Group the opportunity for these children to come over here would not be possible.
Chrissie said: "The children living in Belarus and Ukraine have significant health needs as a direct consequence of the Chernobyl disaster. Often families cannot afford even basic food and a nourishing diet is out of the question. Bringing them to the UK is such a boost for them and the frail looking children we meet at the airport always go back with colour in their cheeks! Over here they experienced a traditional Carlisle Christmas including a Christmas lunch with all of the trimmings plus a variety of activities that will have made their stay here very memorable. We are all very grateful to the Story Group for donating the money which will have such an enormous effect on these young people's lives"
Fred Story said: "We're really happy to be able to help the people of Chernobyl in this way. We hope this contribution will help these children towards a brighter future. It's the little things we can do that make such a massive difference in places like Ukraine. I'm a born and bred Carlisle lad and I think it's a great place to grow up, to work and to live in - I'm sure these kids will have had an enjoyable, as well as recuperative time whilst staying here."