Children from Chernobyl visited Wattisham Airfield

Youngsters from Russia got a first hand taste of some of the equipment at Wattisham airfield during a visit to Britain.

Some 18 children have spent a month in the UK thanks to the Mid Suffolk branch of Chernobyl Children’s Life Line.

This supports communities in Belarus affected by the Chernobyle nuclear disaster of 1986. The children climbed aboard this Sea King helicopter operated by Search and Rescue, turned on the hoses of the airfield fire engine and visited the museum.

Organiser, Elizabeth Parker, said: It was a super visit to Wattisham and something different that the childfren and their helpers enjoyed very much.”

Lt Col Robbie Silk, station staff officer at Wattisham, said: “It was so pleasing to bring some joy to these young children, who have a difficult life and to see that they enjoyed it so much.”

While many children do not suffer any particular illness, their general health and wellbeing is affected by the legacy of the radioactive material released into the environment by the disaster.