STOP THE FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH OFFICE WITHDRAWING GRATIS VISAS FOR CHERNOBYL CHILDREN COMING TO UK FOR RECUPERATIVE HOLIDAYS FROM BELARUS & UKRAINE

Responsible department: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The future of vital recuperative holidays for children living with the after effects of the Chernobyl disaster is threatened because the FCO has announced that gratis visas for Chernobyl Children will end in March 2013.
The UK will be only government in the EU to start charging. All others grant gratis visas as they acknowledge the important work done helping children living with the after effects of radiation by boosting their immune systems & improving their health.
This would add £86 per child to the cost of bringing them to the UK, placing a heavy burden on charities already struggling to raise funds. Consequently this will result in either less children coming to the UK for recuperative breaks or the closure of smaller charities.
Many MPs support us, having met these children in their constituencies. Government departments also support our work as does the PM. Now they must prove it by withdrawing plans to charge for these vital visas.
Victor Mizzi MBE & Linda Walker MBE