Organisers of the Chernobyl Children's Project are on the look out for companies who would be willing to donate a minibus for the day.

Project volunteers say the bill for hiring out transit vans is eating into funds which could otherwise be used to pay for food and entertainment.

Organiser Mick Boddy says: "People in Keighley have already been incredibly generous with their donations of clothes and food.

"However, we are having to hire out a lot of minibuses for day trips, which is eating into money we could use to provide food and entertainment for the children.

"We also need as much fresh fruit and veg as people can donate because we are catering for youngsters with healthy appetites.

The children's project currently has 12 children from Belarus staying with 11 families in the Keighley area for a months holiday.

Since they arrived in Keighley, the youngsters have been taken on a fascinating day trip to the West Yorkshire police control centre in Wakefield, where they were shown around the controls of the police chopper.

Special fun trips to the Camelot theme park and the Hollywood Bowl have also been planned for the coming weeks.

The children - who are aged between nine and 15 - have developed cancer as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power station disaster.

Spending just a months holiday in a nuclear free area like Keighley could prolong their life by up to two years.

Anyone who would like to make any kind of donation to the Chernobyl Children's Project can contact Mick Boddy on 600264.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.