MARCIA Doyle has always loved children.

Whether she was raising her own six children at home in Caldicot, or teaching other people's in the local Sunday school, her life has always revolved around young people.

"Children have always been in my life," said the 70-year-old grandmother.

"Our children were always at home, but were never alone, and always brought other children here."

But 22 years ago the number of children passing through the Doyle household rose even further.

In April 1986 the explosion of reactor number four at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant created the world's worst nuclear disaster, with plumes of radioactive fallout spilling out across parts of Russia and eastern Europe.

Two years later Marcia saw a notice at a church in Newport asking if anyone would be able to put up six Belorussian children (it is estimated 70 per cent of the radioactive fallout from Chernobyl landed in Belarus), who were coming to Wales for a holiday from the aftermath of the explosion.

"I had six children of my own," said Marcia. "So I thought, 'they can sleep in the living-room', and we took the six.

"The next year the Belorussian priest in London rang up and asked if we would take some more children. I said we would do it one more year - I have been taking them ever since."

Marcia and her husband, Michael, went on to found the Victims of Chernobyl Children's Fund, and for the last 22 years have co-ordinated hundreds of respite breaks in Wales for Belorussian children suffering from radiation- related diseases.

One boy, Ignat Tomas, came to stay with Marcia when he was seven years old. A year later, Marcia received a call from his parents to say his heart was failing, and he needed treatment within a week. Marcia found a surgeon in the UK who was willing to operate on him if she could raise the £10,000 it would cost for the surgery.

"Just seven days later Marcia had raised the huge sum through generous donations, and Ignat had a pacemaker fitted.

But earlier this year Ignat's parents phoned again. Ignat - now 18 - had outgrown his pacemaker and was in desperate need of a second operation - costing another £10,000.

Marcia said: "I do not know to this day who gave what, but somehow we managed it. Magor Church helped us, Undy Church helped us, and a Leicester church. There were donations from neighbours and friends. Ordinary people gave £5, £10, £12 - whatever they could afford Ð and we raised the whole lot within a week."

Ignat's case had a particular resonance for Marcia, whose own son, Michael, died 18 years ago at the age of 19 after a car accident - almost the same age as Ignat when he had his second operation.

"I couldn't save my son, but we could save this boy," said Marcia.