Raising funds to eradicate Polio world-wide

The Rotary Clubs of Medway announce that Rochester Cathedral and the Halpern Conservancy Building were lit purple on the night of the 24^th October, World Polio Day,

This Event was among thousands to be held by Rotary clubs around the world 

Polio, is a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.   

When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio every year in 125 countries. We’ve made great progress against the disease since then. Today, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent, and just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rotary remains committed to the end.

Geoff Harvey Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Medway, said that he was happy to arrange for the Halpern Conservancy Building to join the Cathedral in supporting the Purple 4 Polio Campaign.

Colin Norgate, the chairman of the Medway Rotary Cluster Group said, “We are delighted and very grateful that the Cathedral authorities (and the Halpern Charitable Foundation) are supporting this initiative which we hope will draw attention to the Purple 4 Polio Campaign. Purple is the colour used to paint on a child’s finger, once vaccinated, to ensure a second dose is not administered.