Despite the wettest February, the purple crocuses planted by the Oswestry Cambrian Rotary on the roundabout outside of the main entrance to the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital, have popped up to give everyone a great display.
The purple crocus is a symbol of Rotary International’s fight to eradicate polio throughout the world. To show children have taken part in the immunisation programme, they have their little finger dipped in purple dye.
Many of us of a “certain age” will remember when we had Polio in this country and how many had to spend their lives in “Iron Lungs”. This included patients at the RJAH! It wasn’t until the UK and the western world embarked on its own immunisation programme that it was eradicated for us.
Rotary, working with the United Nations and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the last 26years, has succeeded in making the world 99% polio free but, sadly we still have the odd cases reported by the World Health each year. This shows the need to redouble efforts to help Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria to retain strong immunisation coverage and hopefully, to rid the world of this highly infectious and disabling disease which can be fatal. The world must be free of Polio for three clear years before the work is done.
The Oswestry Cambrian club is ready to welcome men and women of 18+ from the local community who want to be “people of action”. We meet at The Wynnstay Hotel, Church Street, Oswestry on Thursday evenings at 7.45pm. For more information please go along to hear what their new style of Rotary has to offer or contact Mike Lade on 01691 570917, info@oswestrycambrianrc.co.uk or see www.oswestrycambrianrc.co.uk.
