Blackburn Rovers' European fan-base has been given a pre-season boost following a special visit to Ewood Park.

Around 20 youngsters from the Belarusian town of Mogilev - an area severely affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 - are visiting Lancashire for a month-long recuperative break.

The group, aged 7-12, spent an afternoon at the stadium as guests of the club's Community Trust.

Head of Strategy and Planning Duncan Kinloch said: "The club has supported and hosted visits by the Friends of Chernobyl's Children charity since 2004 and, once again, the trip was a great success. Maybe we gained a young foreign legion of new Rovers fans too."

The young visitors received Rovers kits for a coaching session in the Indoor Centre, before taking part in a dance class and then going on a tour of the ground.

Tanya Moskalkova, an interpreter for the travelling party, said: "The children thoroughly enjoyed their time at Ewood Park and it provided them with some great memories to take back to Belarus.

"Visits to England like this can have a big impact on their lives, as it provides them with the chance to have fresh food, fresh air and experience different activities which they can't all afford back home."

Picture caption: The children from Belarus line up pitchside at Ewood Park