Welcome, and thank you for visiting with us. My name is Colin Macdonald and I am chairman of the Ayrshire Link of the Chernobyl Children Life Line. I'm proud to say that this year was our biggest and best visit yet and with the publicity it generated we now have even more people than ever wanting to become involved with the charity.

My own association with Belarus began a few years earlier when I visited Minsk, the capital, at the invitation of a local church. Although I had heard of the Chernobyl disaster it came as a shock to me to witness the terrible results at first hand. Visiting the hospitals and seeing the plight of the children and the lack of resources left an indelible mark on my heart. So when I heard of a group starting up locally I was eager to help.

Since we formed we have brought over to Ayrshire over forty children and they have all been a delight for us to host. They give back much more than they receive and meeting them is a truly humbling experience. Although they arrive with little or nothing but the clothes they stand up in they always have a gift for the host family they will be staying with. They are happy and appreciative of everything done for them.

The 19 children who arrived at Glasgow Airport over the course of 2003 were excellent ambassadors for their country and a credit to their parents and upbringing.

We are extremely lucky in Ayrshire to have the continued support of the county's top health care professionals who make the time to give all the children the essential health checks they need. The children are all examined at Crosshouse Hospital by the Consultant Paediatrician and receive dental treatment from the Community Dentist in Prestwick.

This year, all the children required some dental treatment including fillings and several extractions. One boy needed six teeth extracted and another girl was one hour in the chair to have a very difficult tooth removed. A Preswick optician also provided free eye tests and supplied free glasses for the children who required them.

Of course there's always the fun stuff! This year was a very full programme of outings organised for the children, most of them free due to the generosity of the tourist attractions concerned.

There were visits to Edinburgh, Arran, Glasgow Science Centre, Culzean Castle, Loudoun Castle Theme Park, Largs Viking Centre and Kelbourn Country Park as well as regular swimming and skating sessions at the Magnum Centre in Irvine.

The boys were guests of Kilmarnock FC at a pre-season game with Sunderland and also were given a conducted tour of Ibrox Stadium, home of Glasgow Rangers while the girls were treated to a “girls night” with make-up provided by Virgin Vie.

The summer trip was rounded off with a fantastic barbecue in amongst the beautiful hills on the edge of the Galloway Forest. Complete with bouncy castle, trampolines, and water pistols!

All too soon it is time to return the children to their families in Belarus. This is a bitter-sweet time for the host families as they are glad to see the kids return to their parents happier and healthier but sorry to break the wonderful relationships that have been forged over the previous weeks. They will of course keep in touch and I am happy to report that every family has had a phone call or a letter from Belarus within a few weeks of their return. It is so rewarding to serve such great and grateful people.

Now we look forward to the next group and are confident that, with a growing band of enthusiastic volunteers, increasing numbers of children will be able to enjoy the fresh air and hospitality of Ayrshire.

As a friend from Belarus said to me “Politicians won’t change my country but you are changing it one child at a time”