Children from the region are still suffering from high levels of radiation poisoning
A Welsh charity is extending help to children from Ukraine who are still affected by the world's worst nuclear disaster almost 30 years ago.
Eight girls from Korosten in northern Ukraine are spending a month in Swansea as part of a special trip organised by Chernobyl Children's Life Line.
The children are paired with host families and taken on day trips.
Each child is also given vital health check-ups to help with any medical conditions caused by their environment.
Organiser Brian Morgan said children from the region are still suffering from high levels of radiation poisoning which can cause heart and thyroid problems.
"When they come here they have quite a lot of cesium, some strontium and other radioactive elements in their bodies," he said.
"It comes from the ground, the water they drink, the food they eat - even the air they breathe.
"When they're here, a month of eating clean food and breathing clean air gets rid of the radiation and boosts their immune systems."
On 26 April 1986 one of the reactors at the Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine exploded.
One of the children is celebrating her 10th birthday on the trip
Radioactive contents remain at the plant today, polluting the surrounding environment, but it is still unclear how many people have been harmed or killed by it.
This year, construction work has started on a new shelter to make the site safer and stop radioactive material from leaking.
Children are chosen at about the age of 10 because their bodies are developing most rapidly.
Chernobyl Children's Life Line said it is at this point that a lengthy break can do most benefit to their immune system.
"I'm so excited by everything we've done," said Yulia. "We've been doing so many activities, I will remember this trip for my whole life."
The charity has helped about 50,000 children to travel to the UK for extended holidays with host families since 1991.
But this is the first time youngsters from the Ukraine have been invited to Wales by the group.
Historically, the charity focused on the country's poorer neighbour, Belarus.
