'Seeing these children left me in tears' Lawyers moved by mercy trip to Bulgarian orphanage.

Byline: James McCarthy 

TWO lawyers spoke movingly today of their heartbreaking visit to the sick and deprived children ofaBulgarianorphanage.

Nothing could have prepared Peter Watson and Ricki James for their visit to the Eastern European country as part of a 10-truck convoy delivering incubators, clothing, bedding and medical equipment to the youngsters of the northern city of Pleven.

Many of the children they saw had terrible deformities.

Others were so deprived of physical contact they did not want to let go of the visitors.

The pair work for personal injury lawyers Simpson Millar.

Assistant solicitor Ricki, who works in the firm's office in Canton, Cardiff, was overwhelmed by the visit.

She said: "It was an emotional rollercoaster. One minute you were happy at the joy you were bringing the children but then you were seeing the conditions theywere living in."

The drab wards, though full, were eerily quiet. There was little in them to keep the children, who were aged up to 12 but often looked half their age, occupied as they lay in beds and cots.

"You would expect a room full of children to be full of noise but the children were just lying there, giving very few responses, particularly the unwell ones with physical and emotional difficulties," said Ricki, who lives in Barry town centre.

She thought they were silent because they had given up hope of being attended to.

The 27-year-old said: "The older ones were louder and running around and some of the wards with the well children were noisier but still not what you would expect from a ward with 50 or 60 children."

She added: "It is definitely an experience that will stay with me forever and something I want to do again. It was physically and emotionally demanding but trulyamazing and life changing."

Dad-of-twoPeter, amanaging partner of the firm, was left in tears by the visit.

Describing the scenes as "terrible" he said: "Some of the physical deformities and the mental problems that some of the children had were quite shocking. There was a baby in one cot who looked the size of my two-year-old son. He was 11.

"Some of the kids there had terrible defects, heads four times the size of their bodies and the like."

The two returned from the visit, with Simpson Millar supported charity the Communication Workers Union Humanitarian Aid, last week.

The 45-year-old: "Itwasareal mixture of emotions. There were aspects that made you feel good but others thatmade you feel terribly sad.

"I've got a far better appreciation of the problems there and will certainly continue to support the charity."

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CAPTION(S):

EMOTIONAL JOURNEY: Ricki James and, right, Peter Watson during their trip to help Bulgarian children