YOUNGSTERS from an area affected by the world's worst nuclear disaster were treated to a visit to a Premier League football club.

More than 20 youngsters from the Belarusian town of Mogilev - an area severely affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 - were visiting Blackburn for rest and recuperation.

The group, aged between seven and 11, spent a day at Ewood Park, home of Blackburn Rovers, as guests of the club's Community Trust.

The trip was organised by Friends of Chernobyl's Children, a charity set up in the 1990s by Chipping woman Olwyn Keogh MBE, who wanted to help youngsters whose lives had been tainted by the blast.

Trust project officer Jamie Hopwood said: "The club has supported and hosted visits by the Friends of Chernobyl's Children charity annually since 2004 and, once again, the trip was a great success.

"Maybe we gained a young foreign legion of new Rovers fans too."

The young visitors toured the ground and played computer games in one of the state-of-the-art classrooms at the Education Centre, before being given free Rovers kits for a coaching session at the JJB Soccer Dome.

Details of the Friends of Chernobyl's Children charity can be found at the website below.