Wear Purple Curry Evening

TAMESIDE ROTARY SERVES UP SPICE TO FIGHT POLIO

Tameside Rotary recently held a ‘Wear Purple Curry Evening’ to raise funds for Rotary International’s ‘End Polio Now’ campaign. Forty people, from across the community, attended and the event raised £500. However, this total will be tripled thanks to a 2-1 matching partnership between Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Tameside Rotary President, Mike Glover, welcomed everyone to the event giving a brief overview of the background to, and the importance of, the ‘End Polio Now’ Campaign and why guests had been encouraged to wear something purple; this is in recognition of the purple dye which is applied to children’s fingers to confirm they have been immunised against polio.

The event took place at Sheikh’s Restaurant in Ashton under Lyne, where owner Sam and his staff warmly welcomed guests and participated wholeheartedly. A raffle was held with a range of donated gifts which delighted the ten recipients who won! The evening concluded with a fun hour of entertainment provided by Rob Mason, Comedy Folk Entertainer who transported guests back to their childhood with anecdotes, stories and songs of growing up in Lancashire; there was a high level of audience participation in the sing-alongs!

“Curry evenings are a fantastic way to enjoy a great night out while supporting a massive humanitarian cause,” says Angela Robbins, Past President and International & Foundation Chair, at Tameside Rotary. “We are almost at the finish line in ending polio and fundraising events such as this help take us a little nearer. Rotary has been fighting to rid the world of polio for over 35 years and whilst cases have drastically reduced, it’s estimated that if polio eradication efforts ceased today, within ten years we will see a resurgence which could affect up to 200,000 children each year. Continued funding and awareness are essential if we are to succeed in eradicating this highly infectious disease. I am very grateful to everyone who gave their support to this fun event and would particularly like to thank our Community Service Lead, Steve Knowles for organising and collaborating on the event planning.”