Walking Together to End Polio for Good - Oct 2025

Every step counts when it comes to changing lives. This October, members and friends of the Rotary Club of Cotswold Tyndale joined thousands of Rotarians across Great Britain and Ireland for a special World Polio Day sponsored walk — raising awareness and vital funds for Rotary’s global campaign to end polio. It was a day filled with community spirit, sunshine, and friendship — and a powerful reminder that together, we really can make a difference.

Why We Walk

Since Rotary launched its PolioPlus programme in 1988, the world has seen an extraordinary transformation. Back then, more than 350,000 children a year were paralysed by polio across 125 countries. Today, that number has been reduced by over 99.9%, thanks to the combined efforts of Rotary, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Polio now remains endemic in only one small region — the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan — where vaccination teams continue to reach vulnerable children, often under incredibly challenging conditions. The governments of both countries are now supporting the vaccination programmes, giving fresh hope that eradication is finally within reach.

The Power of PolioPlus

Rotary’s PolioPlus initiative is about far more than vaccinations alone. The “Plus” represents all the additional benefits that flow from Rotary’s work: improved access to healthcare, better disease surveillance, and stronger community infrastructure.

Over the past three decades, more than three billion children have been immunised, and Rotary remains committed to seeing this mission through to the end. Over the next three years, Rotary plans to invest $450 million in global eradication efforts — with every $1 donated matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

A One-Mile Walk with a Big Impact

When Sir John Southby Bt MPHF, Rotary International Officer, read a newsletter encouraging all clubs to hold a walk for World Polio Day, the idea quickly took shape. A short one-mile sponsored walk seemed the perfect way for everyone to take part — enjoyable, inclusive, and purposeful.

After testing a scenic circular route starting and finishing at Leaf and Ground, plans were made for a relaxed morning of fellowship and fundraising. On the day, 18 members and partners gathered to enjoy a chat and coffee before setting off under clear skies.

“It was especially good to be undertaking the sponsored walk on the same day as numerous other Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland,” said Sir John Southby, who organised the event on behalf of the club. “There was a very relaxed atmosphere as walkers enjoyed a cup of coffee at Leaf and Ground before setting off in a group for the walk. The feedback I received was great — people really enjoyed something social and different, and it certainly raised awareness about polio eradication. A great success!”

The weather was kind, spirits were high, and the event brought members together in a shared sense of purpose. While the final total is still being confirmed, the club expects to raise around £1,000, including Gift Aid — all of which will go to End Polio Now through Rotary GB&I.

Hope on the Horizon

We are now closer than ever to making polio the second human disease to be eradicated, after smallpox. But as Rotary’s James Carmichael reminds us in the latest Rotary Magazine update, this final stage is the hardest. Continued vigilance, funding, and vaccination are essential to ensure polio does not return.

Even a single case is one too many — because where polio exists anywhere, children everywhere remain at risk. Ending polio for good will mean future generations will never know the fear or suffering this disease has caused.

How You Can Help

You can still support our efforts by donating directly to Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign via our JustGiving page:

Every pound helps bring us closer to a world free from polio — and with the Gates Foundation’s 2-for-1 match, your contribution goes three times as far.

Together, We Can End Polio

The fight to end polio has united people from all walks of life — doctors, teachers, parents, and volunteers — across every continent. Our World Polio Day walk was just one small part of that remarkable story, but it reflects the same Rotary spirit that began this campaign nearly four decades ago: compassion, service, and a belief that no challenge is too great when we work together.

We look forward to the day when we can finally say the words, “Polio is history.” Until then, we’ll keep walking, giving, and doing our part — step by step, mile by mile.