On Saturday, 23rd June 2012 at the Croydon Masonic Hall, Saxondom Lodge played host to ten children, aged eight to 16, from the Belarus region of Russia. It was the second and third UK trip for two of the lucky children, but for the majority this was their first visit. A total of 26 children were being hosted by families in the Ashford area, but not all of them were able to visit the venue as they had doctor and dentist appointments. Saxondom has been donating funds for this very worthy cause for a while now and we wanted to meet the children and give them an afternoon of fun and laughter, so we organised for a children’s entertainer, Dave Andrews, to perform some magic and ventriloquism and laid on a buffet, all of which was paid for by donations from some members of the Lodge. We were honoured by Nastia, one of the Belarus children, who entertained us by performing a beautiful traditional dance. The dress she is wearing was hand-made by her mother who is also a victim of the disaster as she is now terminally ill from cancer. We were also delighted to hear a traditional Russian song called “My Mother”, performed by Nastia and Sophia. Trevor Snowden, Charity Steward, initially suggested we host an afternoon for the children to hear how the people in Belarus are affected, the impact it has on their lives and how four weeks away from the area each year makes such a beneficial impact on their lives. Numerous gifts including 2012 Olympic T-shirts, calculators, school stationary, torches, batteries, balls, key rings, union flags, Manchester United souvenirs and sweets were donated by members of the Lodge. Another Lodge who heard about the event donated hats and bags, and the Freemasons charity TLC donated bears all of which were greatly appreciated by the children. Saxondom held a raffle during the event which raised an additional £100 for the charity. The Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline  aims to bring children to Britain from Belarus to give them some respite from the radiation fall out that continues to plague the lives of over 500,000 children. The Chernobyl nuclear reactor failed on 26th April 1986 and will continue to affect the area for 100’s of years, but we can help the children by giving them holidays in the UK (or other European countries), just one month away from Belarus boosts their immunity and enables them to extend their lives by around two years per visit!