The Colour Purple in Oswestry

To mark the work that Rotary International is doing to eradicate the disease the Oswestry Cambrian Rotary Club will light up the side of St Oswald's Parish Church in Church Street on October 24, World Polio Day.

Mike Lade from the club said: Those of us of a certain age will remember the scourge

of Polio in this country and the wide use of the 'Iron Lung' in hospitals.

"This crippling and life threatening disease remained endemic in parts of Africa and Asia however, thanks to the

work of the Bill Gates Foundation, Rotary's End Polio Now and Purple for Polio projects over the last 25yrs, polio is almost eradicated with only a handfull of cases being reported this year in some of the remotest parts of North Pakistan and Afghanistan."

Purple has become the colour associated with the campaign to eradicate polio as it is the colour of the mark used on people who have had the vaccine.

Mr Lade said: "If anyone can remember polio in this country or seen polio sufferers in their travels abroad then Cambrian would like to hear their story - especially if it involved the local Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopedic Hospital."

The Oswestry Cambrian club welcomes men and women of 18+ from the local community who have a desire to help others and to have fun.

"We meet informally at The Wynnstay Hotel, Church Street, Oswestry on Thursday evenings. For more information please contact 01691 650854, oswestrycambrianrc@btinternet.com or see www.oswestrycambrianrc.co.uk.