Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 14 October 2021

NUNEATON and Bedworth Borough Council will show their support for World Polio Day on 24 October, by illuminating the Town Hall in purple lights.

Sunday, 24 October, marks World Polio Day – a day which aims to raise awareness, funds and support to end polio – a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.

The idea to light the exterior of the Council building in purple in stems from a campaign called ‘Purple 4 Polio’, which sees buildings illuminated in purple.

It was first launched by the Rotary International Community as a part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative back in 1988.

The eradication of polio is one of the organization’s longest standing and most significant efforts.

Along with their partners, they have helped to immunise more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries and have reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent worldwide.

Whilst polio is nearly eradicated, the Rotary and its partners aim to sustain the progress to continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine.

Arbury Rotary Club have supported the campaign from the start.

One of their members, Roger Coopey, explained that the group are ‘very grateful’ to the Council for supporting the cause.

He said: “We are very grateful to the Council for supporting World Polio Day again this year by lighting up the Town Hall in purple and drawing attention to the Elimination of Polio campaign.

“The significance of Purple is that it is the colour put on a child’s finger to show that they have received the Polio vaccine.

“The number of cases of Wild Polio have reduced considerably so far this year but the campaign will continue until the disease has been eliminated.”

For further information on the Rotary and the fight to eradicate polio, visit endpolio.org.