A GROUP of children from Belarus were given the perfect view of Ipswich when they boarded a double decker bus for a tour of the town.

By JO MACDONALD

joanna.macdonald@eveningstar.co.uk

A GROUP of children from Belarus were given the perfect view of Ipswich when they boarded a double decker bus for a tour of the town.

The 30 teenagers, who also sat on the vehicle as it was given a thorough wash, are enjoying a ten-day break in Suffolk and benefiting from the county's fresh and clean environment.

It is a far cry from their homeland where the effects of the radioactive fallout caused by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 16 years ago are still being felt.

While the youngsters are here they are staying with families in Ipswich and Woodbridge and will enjoy a boat trip on the River Orwell, visits to local schools and the seaside and a few days to relax and get to know their host families.

When their stay in Suffolk is over they will go to Saffron Walden and Southend for the final ten-days of their holiday.

A number of church and secular organisations throughout Europe, including

Baptist Churches in East Anglia, have been organising holidays for children from Belarus for a few years.

The children and their leaders are linked with the churches of the Union of Evangelical Churches of Belarus.

This latest holiday has been financed by churches and individuals in East Anglia.