Hosts needed for child from Belarus

A cash-strapped Diss charity has launched an appeal to find a host family for a Belarusian child who risks losing out on his last opportunity to visit the UK.

A cash-strapped Diss charity has launched an appeal to find a host family for a Belarusian child who risks losing out on his last opportunity to visit the UK.

Eleven-year-old Misha has visited Diss for the last four years through the work of the Diss branch of the Friends of Chernobyl's Children (FOCC).

But the youngster from Mogilov, Belarus, is at risk of missing his fifth and final vacation in south Norfolk after being left without a family to stay with.

Officials from FOCC, who need to raise �6,000 by the end of May to fund the visit of ten youngsters living under the shadow of 1986 nuclear disaster, have called on local families to accommodate Misha for four weeks from July 16.

Charity co-ordinator of the Diss branch David Hannant said all host families will be CRB checked and an interpreter will be available 24/7.

Each visit makes a significant improvement to the children's long-term health and life expectancy, he added.

'Misha is a lovely, polite little boy. He is very involved in his community in Mogilov and enjoys running errands for his neighbours. He comes from a large and loving, but very poor family.'

'Our hosts range from families with young children to retired couples and singles, so if you're interested, please come forward. The children all attend daily activities and trips for around five days a week between the hours of 9am and 4pm, which means that most host families are able to still work,' he said.

FOCC also needs to find host families for two adult interpreters. For more information, call Mr Hannant on 01379 668684.