BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/11/2007

Lorryload of love bound for Belarus

By Jo Garner

A WEST Norfolk couple's dream of sending a lorryload of supplies to Belarus came one step nearer when they shut the doors on a 50ft trailer, packed with nearly 700 boxes of items from local people.

John and Paulene Rotman have spent the past eight months collecting, sorting and packing essential items that most of us take for granted, but the trip came close to being aborted through a drastic change in transport arrangements, totally beyond their control.

"It was one very scary moment and I could hardly believe what was happening," said John, whose dilemma was solved through the Selby-based charity, Chernobyl Children's Project (CCP), the charity John will be travelling with when the convoy sets off at the end of the month.

The couple, who set up the charity Lifeline for Chernobyl, earlier this year had two barns full of carefully-packed and labelled boxes which will mean the earth to the Belarussians who are still struggling to rebuild their lives 20 years after the Chernobyl disaster.

Response to the appeal was overwhelming for John and Paulene , who left their quaint cottage on the Sandringham Estate for Boundary Farm, a bungalow with outbuildings, between Salters Lode and Nordelph.

The move gave them somewhere "on the doorstep" to sort and pack, and even now they can often be found in one of the barns in the evenings, working by torchlight.

" We have to get this load out to the Belarussians before the winter sets in. So many of them have nothing," said John, who still carries with him images from a trip he made to the country with another group last year.

"Let's not forget thousands of people died and millions in Belarus still have high levels of radiation and there are innocent children with severe physical and mental disabilities. We need to get out there with this load," said John.

Meanwhile the couple express their thanks to everyone who has donated goods towards the load.

"The response was truly amazing and there is also a small band of dedicated helpers - we simply could not have done any of this without their help," said Paulene.

These include supporters at RAF Marham, Paul Rooney, of Marham, Fred and Linda Morris, of Downham, Bernard Matthews, Sam at Cargo 69, Val and Paul Blackmur and Fred and Yvonne Sturman, of Flitcham, Karlton Sibson, a trustee, and Liam.

The next fundraising event is an auction at Boundary Farm tomorrow, viewing noon to 1pm, auction at 1pm.

Source:

http://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/Lorryload-of-love-bound-for.3457058.jp