A Gift from Tenterden Rotary Club

A gift from Tenterden Rotary Club
October 2024

Anyone who watches the news can be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed and despondent by the big stories. Rotary clubs around the world are working in the background, encouraging friendships irrespective of nationality and beliefs and supporting causes that benefit humanity. The presentation today is a good example of a worthy cause: the eradication of Polio.

This particularly nasty disease has been with us since the middle of the last century. It has killed and crippled children and adults in its deadly spread throughout the world. But it is nearly eradicated and only hangs on in impoverished parts of the world. Rotary wants to wipe it out. For decades we have been supporting a scheme of vaccination to protect children and stop its spread.

When children are vaccinated with an oral drop they have a finger dipped in purple dye to identify them to the vaccinators. You know how children are, they don't stand still for long and they might want to come back for seconds.

Every year we give out crocuses to supporters and groups in the community The crocuses will display the same purple colour as the fingers of the vaccinated children.

So when you see the flowers glowing purple in Spring you will know what it is all about. Every purple crocus represents a child, saved from polio.

Today in Tenterden we gave out bags of 'purple giant' crocus bulbs to Tenterden Wildlife charity for planting around the town.

They are a gift from Tenterden Rotary Club and the aim is to spread the message. We want to eradicate polio.

If you feel inspired to support our work, Tenterden Rotary Club are always grateful for donations, either through our Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/rotarycluboftenterden in person during our Christmas High Street collection or via any local Rotarian.

Photo: left to right

Gill Whittaker, Veryan Rahr, Pamela Goode, Richard Masefield (with a sack of crocus bulbs), Chris Northen, Oksana Romanukha, Carolyn Wilson, Colin Saunders,  Bill Ferguson.

Front: Darcy the dog