THE 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is being marked in a new show at the Link Gallery in Winchester.

The exhibition, Belarus – Growing up in the shadow of Chernobyl features the work of Chichester photographer Gail Ward.

In 2006 she travelled to Eastern Europe and photographed youngsters living in the SOS Children’s Village in Borovljany.

The SOS charity set it up to help orphans, disadvantaged families and other children affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

She met youngsters who had experienced tragic and difficult upbringings, who told her their story and who trusted her to photograph them.

She said: “I was the first ‘foreigner’ that one family receiving support under the SOS preventative care programme had met.

“Living in a chilly and damp flat at the top of a dismal tenement block, the family relied on a monthly food parcel from SOS Children’s Villages to survive.

“Yet they invited me into their home and cooked traditional food especially for me to try. The hope is that this exhibition will create interest, discussion and remembrance of the disaster.”

The exhibition runs until Thursday, May 26 in the Link Gallery at the University of Winchester in Romsey Road.

It is open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and also most weekends. Call 01962 827578 for more details.