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72 Hunstanton Town & Around September 2017 Tel: 01485 540620 email: editor@townandaround.net
children worldwide have been inoculated and now only 2 countries
remain where Polio very occasionally finds victims.
It’s a tremendous success story and to ensure the battle continues
for the illness never to return, the Rotary Club of Hunstanton and
District are planning forthcoming events. On World Polio Day in
October plans are being made to hold another successful Purple 4 Polio
tea party at the Copper Kettle and to plant thousands of purple crocuses
in the town and around.
The More the Merrier If you would like to discover why the Rotary Club of Hunstanton &
Hunstanton & District’s Rotary Club is going from strength to strength District is growing in numbers, donating and participating locally, as
as local people take full advantage of the very flexible membership well as contributing to international need, please visit our website via
options which are a feature of being a Rotarian in today’s world. In hunstanton-rotary.org.uk or contact Club President, Peter Atterbury by
all, there are 43 people in the Town’s Rotary team – 28 are full email via peteratterbury1@gmail.com to ask any questions you may
members and 15 are associates, and the past year has seen at least one have.
new person join every month!
So, what is making Rotary so attractive these days, as a place to Maxine Thorne and Hilary Farrell
socialise and enjoy the camaraderie of so many people from so many
different backgrounds and ages? The group photo is (from left to right) – Brian Devlin, Paul Farrell,
Quite simply, the Club as a worldwide, national, regional and local Sue Shaw, Richard Shaw and Hilary Farrell.
organisation has changed with ‘the times’. What remains the same and This was taken at last year’s Purple4Polio crocii corm planting.
forms the heart of any Rotary Club, is genuinely caring about what
happens in area you live in and wanting to help in some way, to ‘make
a difference’.
For the Hunstanton & District Club, there is a long history of
providing direct financial or practical support for local organisations,
individuals and worthy causes. As life becomes difficult for some of
our community, or new initiatives need a funding boost, or a crisis
somewhere in the world erupts, this band of 43 people will always
react quickly to do whatever it can.
Of course, this means fund raising and the two most high-profile
events in the past couple of months has been the Norton Light Railway
event and the Kite Fair & Classic Car Rally. These, combined with
other public entertainment or social events during the year helps the
Club raise and donate well over £20,000 a year, and the vast majority
of this money is donated in the immediate area.
It is this practical ‘end result’ that gives the Club members and
associated members a real sense of pride – knowing that what they do
can literally make a difference to an individual or group nearby and
on occasion, much farther away.
For example, you may have heard about the Purple4Polio project.
This is a global, closely managed and determined onslaught on the
ravages that Polio can bring to communities all over the world. In fact,
Polio also affected Great Britain many years ago and some readers will
know of, or have experienced, the long-term impact of this vile disease.
There are three main sources for raising the money needed to eradicate
Polio – The Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, the World Health
Organisation and – The Rotary Club. Yes, even a Club on the coastline
of Norfolk is part of the work of stamping out Polio.
This is an overview of the Polio story and how the Hunstanton
Rotary Club continues to aid to the fight.
In 1985 there were 125 countries with Polio infection. Since then,
Rotary donations have contributed significantly to so 2.5 billion