BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

22/05/2007

Gifts make a difference to Belarusian families

By David Connop Price

TONNES of gifts from generous people in the Basingstoke area have been delivered to a Belarusian hospice dealing with the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster.

Rotary Club of Basingstoke members John Upshall, 65, and Tony Summers, 62, cut through red tape and braved difficult roads in their round trip of more than 3,000 miles to Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

They received a warm welcome when they arrived with three-and-a-half tonnes of new and nearly-new goods at Belarusian Children's Hospice, from where some will be distributed to a network of rural hospices.

Mr Upshall, the rotary club president, said: "The gifts are very well appreciated and will make a difference to a lot of families."

He thanked Gazette readers for their contribution to the aid, which included toiletries, bedding, curtains, kitchenware, toys, clothing, furniture and tools.

The hospices help children with a range of illnesses including many suffering from leukaemia and other effects of the radioactivity caused by an explosion in 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in neighbouring Ukraine.

Mr Upshall said: "We visited some of the families supported by the hospice and were able to appreciate first-hand the difficult circumstances under which the people live.

"Despite the obvious problems, there was an unstinting welcome and hospitality provided by the people, a warmth we tried to return."

The lorry with goods the rotary club collected was one of six doing the run for Cheshire-based charity Heart Hope Help, which sends convoys to Belarus twice a year.

Mr Upshall, of Ramsdell Road, Monk Sherborne, described the 10-day trip as arduous. He and Mr Summers braved several near-freezing nights in the truck on air mattresses, while single-track Polish roads made for an adventurous journey.

He said: "There are many drivers who take unnecessary risks."

But the trip was worthwhile, he said. "There are frustrations with the bureaucracy in Belarus, but we know the goods arrive at the correct destination and get to those in need."

Source:

http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/hampshirenews/display.var.1416859.0.gifts_make_a_difference_to_belarusian_families.php

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