Visiting England was magical, say Chernobyl children
Now 28, Katya is a marketing specialist and lives in Belarus, where a photo of the Quarmby family is a proud possession.Although neither sister was born at the time of the disaster in 1986, she believes it affected their lives. "It's not just the health issues," she says. "It's also had maybe financial consequences, because I remember we were not really rich at the time." She beams when recounting her time spent in England. "I remember those days were filled with joy."They not only supported us with entertainment, they also financially supported us, emotionally, educational support as well. "I'm so grateful for my English family and I just want them to know it." She tells of visiting a fire station, seeing a giraffe at a zoo and just how "tasty" Cadbury chocolate was. Pointing to her mouth, Katya describes one of her most vivid memories. On her last trip to East Yorkshire, when she was 10, Rob, a dentist, fixed a chip in one of her front teeth.The trips were usually arranged for a month over summer, but Katya and Olga were also part of two group visits over Christmas."Everything seemed to me really magic", Katya recalls.
