Vigornia Rotary Club working to end polio for good

Worcester Vigornia Rotary Club have been working to raise vital funds to support the End Polio Now campaign for several years. 

October is a key month in the calendar for the End Polio Now campaign, with World Polio Day taking place, and this year we have some exciting things planned to continue our work supporting this campaign. 

World Polio Day 

On the 24th October, the 5th annual World Polio Day will be taking place. This day is dedicated to sharing and celebrating the progress that has been made on the road to polio eradication and also highlights and discusses what more can be done to end polio for good. 

What is Polio? 

Polio, or Poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. This virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water and can attack the nervous system, and in some instances leading to paralysis. 

Although there is no cure for Polio, there is a safe and effective vaccine which is what Rotary Clubs across the world have been helping to raise funds for, to help ensure all children have access and have been immunized. So far, Rotary and our partners have immunized over 2.5 billion children worldwide. 

Whilst tremendous progress has been made, the final steps on any journey are often some of the hardest and 2018 has been far from easy. To date there have been 14 wild poliovirus cases this year and positive environmental samples show that we cannot take our foot off the accelerator.

So, despite how close we are to eradicating Polio for good, we’re not done yet. 

What are we doing to support End Polio Now? 

End Polio Now Meal 

To tie in with World Polio Day this year, we will be hosting our annual End Polio Now meal on the 1st November at the Royal Oak Pub, Broadwas-on-Teme, Worcester WR6 5NE, starting at 6:45pm. 

At this event, Rotary Club members will gather with family, friends and members of the public to enjoy competing for prizes in a quiz and our tinfoil challenge.

There will also be a spectacular raffle of five lavish hampers, full of vouchers from local restaurants, events and experiences which have been kindly donated by local businesses. 

Both the ticket cost and raffle will help raise funds for the amazing End Polio Now campaign.

If you are a local business who would be interested in donating any prizes to our raffle, get in touch with the Worcester Vigornia Rotary Club. We would be so grateful of anything you can donate. 

Or, if you are interested in purchasing a ticket and joining us for this evening full of great food and fun, all for a great cause, contact Rotarian Sue Smits on info@morrellshandwriting.co.uk or 07929737444.  

Purple Crocus Corm Planting

During 2017, millions of crocus corms were again planted across Great Britain and Ireland, which brought a purple splash of colour this spring. 

This plant has become synonymous with the work Rotary are doing for the End Polio Now campaign, as the purple colour is representative of the purple dye that is painted on the fingers of children who have been immunised against Polio. 

This autumn our members will be pulling on their wellies and getting their spades at the ready to plant purple crocus corms across Worcester city to raise awareness of polio.

Look out for our purple signs at the following locations across Worcester, which mark the spot where a purple carpet of flowers will appear in the spring, when the plants bloom. 

• The Commandery 
• Croft Road
• St Andrew’s Gardens
• Pump House Environment Centre

Significant challenges still lie ahead in the battle to eradicate polio and that is where our fundraising with our upcoming End Polio Now meal and planting of purple crocus corms around Worcester City can really make a difference. 

Our Rotary Club hopes to raise £1000 which will be match funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation turning every pound into £3.

Until polio is eradicated, all countries remain at risk of outbreaks, which is why fundraising events like ours can help bring us one step closer to finally eradicating this highly infectious disease for good.