LITTLE Kristina Ezhenkova is only nine years old and comes from one of the poorest areas of Belarus.

Last week, while on a respite visit organised by Westbury charity Chernobyl Children Lifeline (CCLL), doctors found she had a cancerous mole, believed to be caused by radiation from the Chernobyl disaster 20 years ago.

So CCLL chairman Ann Durbin contacted the Wiltshire Times to launch an appeal to raise the £3,000 needed to pay for her operation. But two days later she was shattered to learn the Belarus government had refused permission to let the little girl have the operation in Britain.

Mrs Durbin said although she was very disappointed Kristina could not have the operation here, she was pleased to learn the little girl had been given priority for her operation to take place in Minsk. She is now hoping readers will donate money to help pay for Kristina's stay in hospital and allow her mother to travel to be with her at such a traumatic time.

Mrs Durbin said: "Kristina is such a lovely child, who comes from such a poor background, we must give her a chance to live. "She is a beautiful nine-year-old whose life has been threatened by the Chernobyl nuclear accident which left its legacy 20 years ago. It would be a real bonus if we could improve her standard of living. This could be done by buying the family a cow. It can only help Kristina's aftercare and progress."

Kristina is one of 12 children currently staying in Wiltshire as part of a respite visit. She was staying with host family Justin and Virginia McGiffin when they noticed the mole on her ankle.

She was immediately seen by Trowbridge GP Steve Rowlands and then referred to oncology consultant Sherif Wilson at the Nuffield Hospital. He said Kristina's health was in danger not only from the melanoma but also from the complications of radiation in her young body and recommended the operation.

Mrs Durbin said Kristina's plight was another example of the ongoing problems caused by the Chernobyl disaster and that unfortunately she was not the only child they had helped who was found to have a life- threatening illness.

Of the six children brought to Britain in December half had been diagnosed in Belarus with the early stages of thyroid cancer, showing an 800 per cent increase since the Chernobyl accident. Adrian Walker, who runs fellow Westbury charity Chernobyl Children in Need, said there was increasing evidence that, contrary to official figures, massive numbers of people were still affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

He said nearly all the children he had helped through the charity had weakened immune systems. He added that 50 per cent of the adults who worked at the plant in the aftermath of the accident were dead or had been forced to retire due to severe medical problems.

  • Donations for Kristina can be sent to CCLL c/o Andrea Hillier, 1 Bridge Court, Westbury, BA13 3FB.