For over 30 years, Rotary and its members have been committed to fighting to eradicate polio across the world.

The amount of polio-endemic countries has dropped from 125 to just three, with over 2.5 billion children receiving vaccinations thanks to the help of Rotary.

With eradication now closer than ever, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s continuing campaign, Purple4Polio, is designed to unite communities to engage in activities as part of the final push to eradicate polio for good.

The campaign ties in with the 100 year anniversary of The Rotary Foundation, Rotary’s own charity, which has played a key role in making polio eradication become close to a reality, along with hundreds of other projects both in Great Britain and Ireland and overseas.

This years theme is 1240 miles: Get moving to end Polio.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are now the only two countries where wild poliovirus cases are being reported, and the length of the border between those countries is the inspiration behind a new annual Purple4Poliofundraising activity to help Rotary End Polio Now

 
The length of the border is classed as “more than 1,240 miles” by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), so the idea is to incorporate the number 1,240 into the Get Moving to End Polio challenge to raise funds to eradicate polio.
 

Our Club Project:

With your support here in Newton-le-Willows you will be helping to make history by joining millions of Rotarians and supporters across the globe raising awareness, funds and support to wipe polio off the face of the earth.  Polio is a vaccine preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.

We will be again distributing 5,000 crocus corms amongst a number of our partner organisations who will plant these in prominent locations within our community to coincide with World Polio Day, Thursday October 24.

Next spring when hopefully the crocuses flower we will hold another competition and networking event to judge the best display and the winning organisation will get a donation from our club.

The Newton Gardeners’ Association, Chairman, Malcolm Greenhaugh will again be judging the entries and will also be giving technical advice to those organisations that require it. Last years winners were Penkford school who set a high standard.

All we ask from our participating organisations is that they use their social media and websites to promote our campaign and if they so wish also help us raise money for the campaign. Last year our club donated £1000 to the fund which included a number of community events and a kind donation from Wargrave House School who gave us the proceeds from their harvest festival.

This years participating organisations are:

Community:

Newton Boys and Girls Club: Victoria Musk

Business for Youth: Terry Maguire

Newton and Earlestown Community Group: Vicky LLewelyn

Earlestown Cricket Club: Karl Allen

Sankey Valley Canal Restoration Society (SCARS): Colin Greenhall

Newton Community Hospital: Dawn Green and  Ian Parr

Newton Community Centre: Nicola Harrison

St Patrick's Parish Centre: Julie Whitehead

Mesnes Park Bowlers: Alan Parr

Mesnes Park Allotments: Graham Leese

Burtonwood in Bloom: Austin Polding

Nugent Horticultural Training Centre, Lime House: Chris Gunnill

Schools:

Penkford School: Chris Langevelt

Wargrave House School: Michelle Henigan

Diistrict C of E School: Debbie Sutcliffe

Wargrave CP School: Lynn Dove

St Peters School: Paul Robinson

St Mary's Primary School: Katherine Grange

Crocuses corms this year will be planted by Thursday 24  October which is World Polio Day.

The competition will be judged early spring. Exact timing will be determined by the weather and the type of winter we have had.

This is a joint effort between the three service committees and is meant to promote awareness of the Purple4Polio campaign in our community and schools. 

For further details also see our Celebrating World Polio Day Events page.