Pupils help the fight against polio
Oswestry School pupils took fundraising in their stride, helping themBorderland Rotary Club to fight Polio.
Last term the students and a number of staff took part in the school's annual house cross country competition. Lower School went first in the 1800m race, shortly followed by the Upper School and Sixth Form pupils in a 2300m race.
The runners agreed that the most challenging obstacle on the course was a very muddy bog, where lots of shoes were lost and very none came out clean.
The pupils used the cross country event to raise money for Borderland Rotary Club and its efforts to help vaccinate the world against Polio.
The pupils sought sponsorship individually for the cross country run. The house that raised the most money overall was Oswald, whose contribution helped the school raise a total of over £714.
Rotary International has been working alongside the World Health Organisation and other international healthcare organisations to vaccinate the world against Polio for over 30 years. There is no cure for Polio, but infection can be prevented by vaccination particularly of children who are most vulnerable. In the beginning, Polio was endemic in 126 countries with an average of 350,000 cases diagnosed worldwide. Just before the Covid 19 pandemic hit we were down to just 50 diagnosed cases in 2 countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Justin Soper, a member of Borderland Rotary Club said: "Diagnosed cases of Polio are back on the increase. If we do not continue with this international vaccination campaign, within 10 years we could see diagnosed cases rise to over 200,000 a year worldwide. It costs just 50p to vaccinate a child. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have kindly offered to donate £2 for every £1 we raise. Thanks to the efforts of the pupils at Oswestry School 4,446 children can now be vaccinated against the Polio virus"
