CHILDREN affected by Chernobyl’s nuclear disaster have visited a Guide Dogs centre.

The Friends of Chernobyl’s Children and Guide Dogs charities have made it possible for a group of children to visit the training school in Atherton for the first time.

The Friends of Chernobyl’s Children charity, based in Clitheroe, arranged for the group of 12 children from Belarus to stay with families in the Ribble Valley for a month.

This time away from home provides great health benefits for the children as their bodies detoxify and they are also treated to educational benefits.

Emma Allen-Taylor, engagement officer for Guide Dogs said “It was great having the children visit; they were such an enthusiastic group and we hope they can come and visit Guide Dogs in the future”.

The children and their interpreters have been learning about puppy walking and how the dogs are trained.