KIND-hearted York Scouts were given a life-changing experience when they helped to renovate a rundown Russian orphanage.

Three Orion Explorers from St Chad's Church, in South Bank, were part of a 20-strong group which carried out restoration work at the children's home in Kolumna, near Moscow.

Rachel Smith, 17, Abigail Cole, 18, and Laura Stevenson, 17, all from the South Bank area, were part of the visit arranged through the Network Russia Scout Fellowship

The network is made up of UK Scout members who foster partnerships with Russian Scouts, and also promote the development of Scouting in the Russian Federation and adjoining countries.

Rachel, a student at York College, said they would never forget the trip.

"It was such an eye-opener to see how other people live and how much poverty there is," she said.

"The orphanage is right in the middle of nowhere and about 100 children live there. They are looked after well, but the place was really dirty and rundown."

The Scouting team, who stayed at the orphanage for a week, worked to make the home more fireproof and carried out repairs.

They also spent a lot of time playing with the children and provided them with crayons and colouring books.

"The kids were really pleased that we had taken the time to go and play with them," Rachel said.

"A lot of them were in the orphanage because their parents are prostitutes and couldn't look after them. They came up and hugged us and didn't want to let go.

"One of the children grabbed my camera because he had never seen one before."

After working at the orphanage for a week, the group travelled to St Petersburg for a few days rest and sightseeing.

Aimee Dubiel, 18, from Great Ouseburn, a Scout from a pack in Ripon, added: "The orphanage tries to help the children prepare for the outside world. They were so grateful for what we'd done and have invited us back next year."

Updated: 11:10 Wednesday, August 17, 2005