ROTARIANS from Oswestry have played a part in the bid to end polio across the globe with a fundraising drive at Gobowen's Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital.

World End Polio Day was on Monday, October 24 with the fight continuing from the mid-1980s, were there were more than 1,000 cases of polio per day across 125 countries, paralysing, and in some cases killing, children.

In 1985 the International Rotary movement identified the eradication of polio as its key humanitarian priority.

Cambrian Rotary Club resident Roger Whitting, who was among members that fundraised at RJAH on Monday, explained the work that has been done.

He said: "Because of the efforts of the Rotary movement in partnership with organisations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, 19 million people who would otherwise be paralysed are walking and 1.5 million people are alive who would otherwise have died.

"Despite there only being a handful of cases left in the world, until it is eradicated completely it has the potential to spread rapidly again.

"Over the past three decades Rotary members across the world have contributed almost £2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the fight to end polio."

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Rotary Club members, including Roger, stationed themselves at the RJAH in Gobowen on Monday, asking for donations in return for a small bag of purple crocuses.

A club member explained the significance of the colour purple.

they said: "The purple crocus is a symbol of Rotary’s worldwide campaign to eradicate polio.

"In countries with no formal health records, purple dye is used to mark the finger of a child who has been immunised.

"All monies raised will be donated to the End Polio campaign.”