Marconi Sailing Club (MSC) on the Blackwater estuary played host Wednesday to twelve chernobyl children from Belarus, giving them an unforgettable lifetime experience, which for many of them was their first time on the sea.
The chernobyl children: six boys and six girls aged between 8 and 13, are on a one-month recuperative holiday organised by the Chernobyl Children Lifeline charity and travelled with a doctor and interpreter. They have all been patients at a Childrens’ Hospital near the ill-fated Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where local communities continue to be affected by health problems thirty years after the nuclear disaster. All the children visiting are being treated for Leukaemia. Their time in England enables them to enjoy uncontaminated food and fresh air, whilst experiencing wonderful activities thanks to the generosity of organisations such as Marconi Sailing Club.
The club’s young cadets did a fantastic job of entertaining their visitors with a warm welcome despite the poor weather on the day. Strong winds meant they could not go out on sailing dinghies as planned, but instead, under the gaze of curious seals popping up for a peek at these young visitors from afar, they all laughed as they bounced and rode the choppy waves on MSC’s fleet of rescue boats to visit Thirslet Spit; a seashell and sand bank only accessible at low tide. There they whiled away the day searching for shells; looking in awe at stranded jellyfish (“Medusa!!!!” in their language); and paddled in the shallows. All against the backdrop of the beautiful Essex coastal landscape so utterly different from landlocked Belarus. The rising tide eventually forced them to board the boats once more and leave. Back at Marconi Sailing Club games were played, and the children’s faces lit up at the gift of many delicious brightly decorated cup cakes, which appropriately are called “keks” in Belarus. Not so different after all.
The youngsters, still excited by their adventure on the high seas, then treated the Marconi volunteers to a rendition of Belarussian folk songs as a thank you. They will go home refreshed, healthier, and with memories to last a lifetime thanks to all those that volunteered their support.
You can find out more about the Chernobyl Children Life Line charity at www.southessexccll.org