Sailors from Clyde Naval Base support polio charity

Three Naval staff from HMS Neptune, the shore establishment at HM Naval Base Clyde, recently supported the Rotary Club in their campaign to raise awareness of polio.

Warrant Officer (WO) Knox, Warrant Officer Burbury and Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Anderson joined John McPherson, Vice President of the Helensburgh and Garelochside Rotary, to plant crocus bulbs at the top of Helensburgh’s Sinclair Street.

The purple crocus is a symbol of Rotary’s worldwide campaign to eradicate polio, with its colour representing the purple dye used to mark the finger of a child who has been immunised.

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.

The polio campaign has seen some of the most staggering achievements, including members of Rotary immunising over two million children in one day in India!

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

President Sheenah Nelson and Rotarians Colin Shannon, Geoffrey Cartwright and John Macpherson, all members of Helensburgh Garelochside Rotary Club, have visited local schools to plant crocuses and speak to the children about the End Polio campaign.  

“We were delighted when WO Burbury, WO Knox and CPO Anderson showed their support for our campaign by joining us to plant crocuses in Sinclair Street, Helensburgh,” said Sheenah Nelson “We look forward to the reciprocal planting which will take place at the Naval Base sometime next year.”

2.5 billion children have been immunised against polio since 1988 at a cost £6 billion so far. Rotary has contributed £600 million of that total. It is hoped that polio will be eradicated completely by 2018.