National goes the extra mile for children affected by Chernobyl

National Car Rental has provided a minibus to accommodate 12 children visiting Scotland from poverty stricken Belarus for a two week summer break. A saving of approaching £3,000 has been made because of the donation of the transport and this money has been put towards arranging a fun-packed schedule for the disadvantaged children whose lives have been severely affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

Provision of the minibus arose via a request from Alan O’Brien, Warehouse Manager at the Blantyre ASDA store. Alan is one of the organisers behind the children’s stay and an active member of SAM Chernobyl Relief charity which has been working to improve the quality of life for the children most affected by Chernobyl. National is the rental company which supplies a significant proportion of ASDA’s fleet in conjunction with fleet management specialists Zenith.

A jam-packed programme of fun and educational activities has been put together for the children’s stay, including a swimming trip, visit to Loudon Castle and the Falkirk Wheel as well as a traditional fish and chip shop dinner. One of the highlights of the break will be a shopping trip to the Motherwell ASDA store where the children will have £100 each to spend on new clothes. The children will also receive much needed medical attention during their stay as well as good food and nutrients which could extend their life expectancy by as much as 3 to 5 years. Volunteer families in and around the Larkhall area will play host to the children.

Belarus is one of the countries which has been most severely affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. It took 70% of the fall out from the power plant and a fifth of the country’s agricultural land was contaminated, laying the foundations for a devastating impact years into the future.

Alan O’Brien said: “We are delighted that National has once again come to the rescue by providing us with the minibus for the two weeks. In the past we have had to hire a bus and driver which is costly and doesn’t give us the same flexibility as having the minibus at our disposal. It really makes the world of difference as we are able to change the programme should there be bad weather, and of course it has freed up an awful lot of money which we can put towards ensuring these kids have the experience of a lifetime.”

Rebecca Madden, director, EMEA corporate marketing, comments: “At National we are always happy to step in and help when we can, and we are delighted the minibus is set to make a big difference to the experience these children will have during their stay. We hope the children have the wonderful time that they so deserve.”

For more information on the work done by the charity, visit sam-chernobylrelief.com.