NOBODY likes to think of a child having to live in the shadow of the world's biggest nuclear disaster - Chernobyl.

But for Fylde artist, author and mum-of-two - Katie-Ellen Hazeldine - a Citizen appeal for host families for a group of visiting schoolchildren from poverty-stricken Belarus was just too much to ignore.

Katie-Ellen, 42, of Cypress Avenue, Fairhaven, has now signed up to be a month-long 'surrogate mum' to one of ten children who are paying a visit to the Fylde coast from June 27 as part of a trip organised by the Blackpool Link of the Chernobyl Children's Lifeline.

It is hoped that a four-week period of healthy living and eating, away from the devastating effects of radioactivity from the 1986 disaster, could increase each child's life by up to two years - reducing the risk of blood disorders, cancer and other conditions in later life.

"I'm glad to be doing this," says Katie-Ellen - mum to Artemis, 19, and ten-year-old Ariane.

"We are all really looking forward to the children coming - it will be fun and a real eye-opener for us, I'm sure.

"And it is such a privilege to be trusted to look after them.

"To these children, death and disease are a familiar part of life so when I saw John's appeal in The Citizen, I didn't hesitate.

"We lost a new-born son some years ago. Others will know, who've been through that experience. There is no forgetting the anguish of being unable to save your child.

"It's mainly for this reason why I wish to support the charity.

"I hate to think of the parents living in Belarus, struggling to do the best for their children but stuck in a trap."

Not only is Katie-Ellen supporting the vital work of the charity by providing a home for a child in need.

But she's also offered to donate copies of her latest book 'Tales of Our Times' - a collection of darkly comic short stories for adults - to boost the charity's fundraising efforts.

Katie-Ellen added: "The children's trip here is literally a lifeline. If we can just sell a few copies of this book towards that - it would be great."

o 'Tales of Our Times' by Thatcher, Whyte and Hazeldine is priced at £4.00 (RRP £12.00) and is available from Plackitt & Booth Book Sellers, Clifton Street, Lytham, and Kapra, Clifton Arcade, Lytham. All proceeds go towards Chernobyl Children's Lifeline.