AGROUP of Beslan school siege survivors enjoyed their first day out yesterday as part of a month-long holiday in Scotland.

The group of 13 children and a mother who survived the Chechen rebel attack, in which 344 people were murdered in Russia last September, said they were thrilled with the welcome they had received since arriving on Sunday.

The first stop on the trip for the four girls and nine boys, all aged between eight to 14, was Loudoun Castle theme park in Ayrshire.

Their visit is being coordinated by the Chernobyl Children Lifeline charity.

The youngsters are staying for two weeks in Lanarkshire with local volunteer families before travelling to Inverness, where they will be based for the remainder of the trip.

Among the visitors were mother-of-two Aleta Gasinova, 37, and one of her daughters, Amina, nine, who both survived the rebel attack.

Mrs Gasinova's father-inlaw, a retired headmaster at Beslan's school number one, was a victim of the three-day siege.

Mrs Gasinova said: "The children seem better here.

They have moments when they get very frightened because people are still talking about the school siege in their home village. But here they seem to be relaxed so far. We think Scotland is very nice. It is wonderful to be here."

A visit to Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling, Glasgow Science Centre, and the National Stadium at Hampden are among other activities planned for the children.

Liz Smith, organiser with Chernobyl Children Lifeline charity, said: "We want this trip to help restore these children with some faith in human nature. And hopefully they'll go away thinking Scottish people are lovely."

Antonetta Cameron, a host parent, said she wanted to do something more than give money to the survivors of Beslan.

"It's joy having them to stay, I think me and my family get more out of it than they do. It puts our troubles in perspective when we know what they have been through."