CHILDREN from Chernobyl were treated to a ride on the Kennet and Avon Canal this week as part of a four-week visit to England to boost their health.

This is the third year in a row the group of 12 children have been to this country to stay with host families in Bath, organised by the Bath branch of the Friends of Chernobyl Children charity.

This week they took a trip on the Barbara McLellan barge, run by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust.

They climbed aboard at Bradford Wharf, and the rain held off for their trip.

Tamsin Cowls from the charity said: "The idea of the trips over here is not so much for them to have a holiday, but more to promote good health.

"They live in such an unhealthy environment that trips on the water are literally a breath of fresh air."

Ms Cowls organises several outings for the children during their four-week visit, but companies often put their names forward without her asking, to welcome the children for events.

"The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust offered the trip to us and we took it because a trip like that is totally different from anything they would have done before."