A group of children from a deprived area of Eastern Europe are currently enjoying a holiday in North Yorkshire with the help of two local businesses. The children arrived in the area on June 9^th and will return home on July 7^th. Simon Bailes Peugeot and Noble Vehicle Hire are providing transport for the group of 16 children from Belarus, an area of Eastern Europe which still suffers the after effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 1986. The visits to North Yorkshire are organised every year for four weeks and the children take part in the breaks for four years of their lives to help boost their immune systems and significantly lower their risk of developing life threatening diseases. Simon Bailes Peugeot, the North East’s leading Peugeot dealership, and Noble Vehicle Hire in Darlington have a longstanding community partnership and provide a minibus to help the local charity which organises the visit, Friends of Chernobyl Children. The seven to ten year olds stay with host families in the Northallerton area and visit a variety of local attractions and experience life in schools in the region. Simon Bailes Peugeot has been supporting the Friends of Chernobyl Children for several years and the minibus allows the charity to include more visits to a wide range of local attractions such as Lightwater Valley, Flamingo Land and the Forbidden Corner in Leyburn as well as enjoying activities such as horse-trekking at Boltby and walking in the North York Moors. The children also undergo a medical and visit a dentist and optician if needed. Audrey Trewhitt, from Friends of Chernobyl Children, commented: “Research shows that visits such as these help to build up the children’s immune systems enough to prolong their lives.  Therefore it’s vital that we continue to organise them. Without the help of local community partners the visits would be difficult to organise because of the costs involved and we are incredibly grateful to Simon Bailes Peugeot and Noble Vehicle Hire who help to get the children out and about all over North Yorkshire.” Simon Bailes, managing director of Simon Bailes Peugeot, said: “The visits to North Yorkshire are crucial for the children from Belarus and our continued relationship with Noble Vehicle Hire who provides the minibus helps the children get out and about, have fun and enjoy our beautiful area. As always, Colin Gillespie, Managing Director of Noble Vehicle Hire was delighted to help and is happy to continue supporting the Friends of Chernobyl Children as we both see what a difference the visits make to the children’s lives in so many ways.”