FAMILIES who open their homes to children growing up in the shadow of one of the world's worst nuclear disasters are giving them the precious gift of life.

A group from the Ukraine are taking a break from a homeland contaminated by radiation after the 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

They are members of a blighted generation whose life expectancy is set at about 45 years because of growing levels of lethal radiation rising through the soil.

They spend three weeks in the Crook area every year, enjoying the chance to build up their immune systems by cleansing their lungs and eating fresh food.

Organiser Veroncia Gibson and a team of helpers raise almost £7,000 to pay for flights, visas and trips, which this year have included visits to Wet n' Wild, York and the Theatre Royal.

One of the group leaders, Svetlana Shulaeva, an English teacher in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, said: "Doctors tell us that cases of thyroid cancer have increased 1,000 times and radiation is higher now than when it first happened. It will take hundreds of years to clear, so it is important to get the children away because a few weeks in a clean environment will help. It also gives the children a chance to learn English and learn about ways of life and history."