Tynedale's lifeline to children of Chernobyl,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Worse still, as gas and electricity prices soar,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the poorest people are defying a ban on burning native wood releasing radioactive particles into the atmosphere once again.
Twentyfive years on, Belarus is still paying the price of the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl.
Leukaemia is the biggest killer among young people, but the charity that aims to give as many children as possible access to 'clean' food and air even for a short while believes its work will make a difference.
Just one month in a radiationfree environment can extend lives by up to two years, says Chernobyl Children's Lifeline.
This year's contingent of Belarussian children that stayed in Tynedale have just gone home,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
But the local branch of the charity is already looking to next year and the need for more host families.
Host family coordinators Jed and Lucy Irving, who ran the Travellers' Rest pub at Slaley for a decade, are asking interested Tynedale folk to get in touch.
Jed said: "We used to read the stories in the Courant about Chernobyl Children's Lifeline and we always wanted to do it.
"So as soon as we left the pub, three years ago, we got in touch with the charity.
"This is our third year of hosting and I won't pretend it can be hard work but above all it is very rewarding,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]."
Around a dozen children are billeted in Tynedale each year, for a month and always in pairs.
That usually means a dozen or so host families are needed, as most find having their visitors for a fortnight is manageable.
The Irvings, who have two children of their own,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Megan (11) and Andrew (, point out that the Belorussians are taken out on trips by the charity each working day of the week. By providing entertainment and care in that way, the charity aims to reduce the impact on households with two working parents.
This year's group comprised 10 girls and 2 boys, between the ages of eight and 10.
"They were all from Lapichi, which is 310 km from Chernobyl," said Jed. "And this time they all came from the same school, which is fairly unusual.
"They were all quite young, so perhaps they were trying to make it easier for the kids by making sure they were surrounded by familiar faces."
The children enjoy an actionpacked month.
There's a hectic programme, with everything from horse riding, canoeing and ice skating to visits to Alnwick Castle and an aquarium on the programme.
The generosity of folk in Tynedale and beyond is well known. Stobo's fruit and veg shop in Corbridge puts a large basket of fresh fruit on their minibus each day "they devour it,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," said Jed and the Nike store at Royal Quays in North Shields gives them a pair of trainers each.
The charity itself is also manned and run entirely by volunteers, apart from a handful of office staff at its national HQ, responsible for arranging the visitors' visas and plane flights.
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