St James Church goes PURPLE!

Each year for Polio Awareness Week, St James Church in Louth, with the tallest parish church spire in England, is floodlit in hues of purple.  We have contributed funds towards the new digital floodlights so the colours can be readily changed by the church team.

Louth Rotarians routinely support two causes - 

• Rotary International's aim to eradicate Polio - End Polio Now
• Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month through November

End Polio Now 

For over 30 years Rotarians have been committed in eradicating Polio worldwide. We do this by fundraising and supporting specialist medical teams that operate in key regions around the world.

Children are given protection by vaccination and are then given a sweet, which is most likely the main reason why they queue up for the treatment. Rotarians noticed that some cheeky youngsters would rejoin the queue for a second sweet, so to avoid a double dose the kids would have their little finger painted with a purple dye.

Because of this, Rotary in the UK has adopted the colour purple for its campaign to raise awareness.

Louth Rotary has supported End Polio Now from the start. This year we have several events planned:

• Floodlighting St James Church in purple
• Bucket collections outside Louth Co-op
• Planting purple crocus bulbs around the Meridian Leisure Centre.

Thanks to Rotary, and the support of our partners WHO, UNICEF, CDC and the Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation, there are now just three countries still classed as endemic; Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan.

To finish the job over 2 billion doses of oral Polio vaccine must be administered each and every year in over 60 countries until the world is finally certified Polio free. This is perfectly possible.

Help Louth Rotary and Rotary around the world make the final steps to eradicating Polio from the world.

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Purple is not only the colour of Polio eradication but also of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. Louth Rotary is pleased to support Sarah Parker in this joint effort to light up St James.

The act of turning our iconic landmark purple symbolises for many a way to remember loved ones who have sadly died of the disease as well as celebrating the lives of those that have survived.

Less than 7% of people with pancreatic cancer will survive beyond five years in the UK, 1 in 4 won't survive a month and 3 in 4 people won't survive a year. These shocking statistics must change by recognising the disease sooner and treating it within weeks, not months.

More research can make this happen.

Find out how you can help...