FOR today's Nostalgia we wanted to remember the biggest nuclear disaster in history.

An explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 spread a radioactive cloud over large parts of the Soviet Union.

Nearly 8.4 million people in countries that are now Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation lost their lives.

According to official reports, thirty-one people died immediately and 600,000 “liquidators,” involved in fire-fighting and clean-up operations, were exposed to high doses of radiation.

Nearly 404,000 people were resettled, but millions continued to live in an environment where continued residual exposure created a range of adverse effects.

People were left unsure about the basics of life such as whether it was safe to leave the house, was water safe to drink, and is is safe to eat local produce.

The disaster happened on April 26, 1986, however The Soviet Union did not largely deal with the consequences until 1990, as this is when the UN got involved.

In order to clarify the remaining issues, and maintain worldwide attention on Chernobyl, the United Nations has undertaken a number of new initiatives.

This month it is International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day, the aim of these UN created days is to promote international awareness and action about key issues.

Many other major events in history are remembered on key dates which are organised by the UN.

These photos show how Cumbria has been linked to the Chernobyl disaster. We can see many photos of the children from Chernobyl being welcomed to the county, which has happened a number of times since the disaster took place.