Accompanying District Governor 1210 John Sayer on his visit to the Rotary Club of Wellington was Polio Bear. Polio Bear wears a purple jumper and a purple crocus as a reminder of Rotary’s success in eliminating polio from most regions of the world. The District Governor thanked the club for their support of the campaign.
At one point the District Governor lost Polio Bear only to find him peering through the Rotary emblem on the wall behind him. Polio Bear also took the opportunity to be photographed alongside copies of the Wellington Club Directory and Diary which were a perfect match for his outfit. The match was not a coincidence as the colour for the directory had been chosen to support the 2016/17 Purple 4 Polio campaign.
Whilst Rotary’s efforts with the campaign had eliminated Polio from many parts of the world, it has not been eliminated from areas along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. The District Governor emphasised the need to continue funding the project as there was still a risk to children all around the world until Polio has been eliminated from all countries.
Wellington Rotarian Graham Reedman introduced his guest, Neil Warrington (previously a member of the Rotary Club of Knighton) who presented a cheque to the club to go towards Rotary’s End Polio Campaign. The money had been raised at a recent Soup lunch organised by the Church of the Holy Trinity in Much Wenlock. Neil was thanked by both the President John Wardle and District Governor John Sayer.