Government House turns purple for charity’s polio campaign

It was the first time that the Lt-Governor, Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder, and Lady Corder have hosted a reception for the Rotary Club of Guernsey and Rotary Guernesiais to highlight the Purple4Polio campaign which began in 1985.

Once a common disease, last year there were only 22 recorded cases worldwide compared to 350,000 at the outset of the campaign.

Rotary Club president Simon Milsted said the importance of continual awareness was to build up herd immunity.

‘We’re particularly anxious that people don’t think the work is done just because of the figures,’ he said.

The purple theme stems from the fact that aid workers would paint children’s fingers that colour to show they had already received a vaccination.

‘Last year we were backed by the States Overseas Aid & Development Commission who matched our £20,000 fundraising which in turn was turned into £240,000 by the Bill Gates Foundation,’ said Rotary Guernesiais president Sarah Cash.

‘We’re always looking for a way to keep the reaction up for the cause, next year will be 60 years since the last reported case of polio in the island, for example.

‘It’s a disease that often affects war-torn countries when the government doesn’t have easy access, in places such as Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

‘It affects the muscles which in a lot of cases don’t recover, causing a whole spectrum of disabilities,’ she said.

Part of the club’s activities has included the planting of purple crocus around the island in association with the parish floral groups and sponsor Appleby.

A purple ‘P’ shape has also been planted with crocus on the Government House front lawn.

Guests at the reception, including Deputy Bailiff Richard McMahon, were served purple canapes before being updated on Rotary’s polio eradication campaign, which has already saved more than 16 million children worldwide.

Sir Ian, a honorary member of the Rotary Club of Guernsey, said: ‘Rotary is working very hard in the Bailiwick, throughout Britain and Ireland and internationally to end polio once and for all, and we are delighted to help highlight the important part that Guernsey continues to play in the battle to beat this disease, for which there is still no cure.’