In 1985, the effects of polio were devastating lives across the world and with 350,000 new cases reported that year alone it was causing widespread misery across 125 countries.
It was this year that the Rotary International, along with a number of partner organisations including UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, embarked on a campaign to eradicate the disease.
Highly infectious and transmitted through contaminated food and drinking water, polio was fast becoming a scourge for impoverished countries.
With no specific treatment or cure, the effects are devastating, gripping the nervous system and sometimes resulting in paralysis.
But now, more than two decades since the campaign began, little more than 100 cases have been reported in 2010 and there are only four countries where the disease is endemic – India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
These results may have been realised through a widespread global effort but great support has also been shown by Newport’s very own Rotarians.
And while the vast majority of their work is centred around Newport itself, this campaign provides a perfect example of how their vision in the local community reaches the wider world.
One way they have done this is through the ‘purple pinky’ campaign which has raised hundreds of pounds for vaccinations and educated scores of local children.
Rotarian Les Goodchild said during February this year there was a coordinated effort to complete the final push to eradicate the disease altogether.
He said: “Most of the schools in our area have contributed to our ‘purple pinkey’ campaign in some way. Their help goes a long way when coupled with the efforts of rotary clubs worldwide and we hope that in a couple of years the disease will have been wiped out.
“When children are vaccinated, they have a purple stamp put on one of their little fingers so the immunisation team knows who has been vaccinated.“Running the event was a great way to raise public awareness of the efforts being made and to raise funds, with as little as 50p paying for a single immunisation. We have raised £1000 to date with more to follow.”
The popularity of the organisation is undeniable and to provide some scale, the volunteer service involves nearly 33,000 clubs across more than 200 countries and with 1.2 million members.
Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) has more than 55,000 members in 1,840 clubs alone. Numbers aside, it is important to point out the core value of Rotary – simply to help others.
Our Newport group has 40 members and it is no surprise to find it growing in popularity with members enjoying business as well as social networking opportunities. They enjoy a broad range of fellowship events that have included visits to a micro brewery, tenpin and crown green bowls, a trip to Daniels Mill in Bridgnorth, dinner dances, barn dances and quizzes.
“Rotary members are enthusiastic, fun-loving and active volunteers who give their time and talents to serve communities both at home and overseas. They are dedicated people who share a common interest in helping others,” said Les
“When it first started, we looked at attracting people from the business community but now we look at professional people who have the right attitude and mind-set and who are willing to provide a voluntary service.
“We meet on a weekly basis in the Chapters Restaurant at Lilleshall Sports Academy and, over the course of the month, we have two formal meetings with a meal and guest speakers.
“Another of the meetings is informal, where we relax and often go on low cost trips and the other meeting we use to deal with business matters to distribute funds.
“The vast majority of the money we raise is pumped back into Newport and none of it is spent on covering overheads. Rotary is about having fun whilst engaging in a range of service projects and there is really something for everyone.”
The group supports an array of events and causes including Newport Carnival, Newport Fun Run and the town’s Christmas lights.
It has also provided funding for the Newport X-Ray Appeal at Wellington Road Surgery and finance a room at Newport Cottage Care Centre. Other beneficiaries include the First Responders, Boughey Garden Tennis Club and the Severn Hospice.
The list goes on and on, including Church Aston Thursday Club, the Scouts, Shropshire Crossroads and Access Counselling.
Members also actively get involved with the community and in the aftermath of the V Festival, local rotarians joined forces with other clubs in the district to collect tents left behind. These have been cleaned and stored, in readiness to support people overseas dealing with disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes.
Another key focus for Rotary is to support young people and it has two sister organisations – Interact and Rotaract – specifically for young people aged between 14-18 and 18-30. It also has a host of nationwide youth programmes encouraging young people to develop strong bonds of friendship and realise their potential.
Programmes include Rotary Young Chef and Young Citizen while the Rotary Youth Leadership provides residential courses aimed at helping the leaders of tomorrow.
There are other programmes covering music and travel with the Rotary Youth Exchange giving more than 9,000 young people each year the chance to live abroad and learn about other cultures.
Within Newport and the surrounding areas the rotary carry out a range of different projects with the aim of improving quality of life for the young.
Projects include ‘Kids Out Days’ for disadvantaged children and mock interviews and business days for school children.
Les added: “In the six years I have been a member, every young person we have sent away on the week-long leadership course has said it was a life changing experience. We run the courses in conjunction with other local rotary groups and we sponsor two local people each year.
“We also give local students the opportunity to take part in a competition to design an innovative product with the Young Innovator service and we also hold public speaking competitions with the Youth Speaks service.
“Another area we have helped out with is the Burton Borough job fairs. These are usually held at the Bucks Head in Telford and we send our members along to help interview the school children. They will be interviewed just as they would be for a job and then we give feedback and advice.”
On the world stage, the Rotary International has made a huge impact through its own charity – The Rotary Foundation, a corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from members and friends of the organisation who share its vision of a better world.
Les gave a final message which really explains its vision and core values.?
He said: “The mission of the foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.”
If you are interested in joining, or finding out more about Rotary, contact Les on 07913 289937.
By Sam Pinnington
