ROTARIANS TO CYCLE ACROSS ISLE OF WIGHT IN BID TO RAISE £1,500 TO HELP ERADICATE POLIO

2 Isle of Wight Rotarians are preparing to cycle from Yarmouth to Ryde this Saturday (31st October) as part of a fundraising effort to help eradicate polio across the world.

Paul Wheeler and Ian Pratt, members of Rotary on the Wight, will take to the roads on e-bikes generously loaned by Wight Cycle Hire, raising awareness of Rotary International’s long-running campaign to wipe out the disease.

The Island Rotary club, which operates across Newport, Ryde and the West Wight, hopes to raise more than £1,500 through its fundraising activities.

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Rotary launched its international campaign to eradicate polio in 1985, when there were an estimated 350,000 cases annually across 125 countries where the disease was endemic.

By 2025, that figure had fallen to just 38 cases, with polio remaining endemic in only 2 countries – a reduction of more than 99.9%.

As part of Saturday’s fundraising efforts, volunteers will be selling bags of 10 purple crocus corms for £2 at various locations across the Isle of Wight.

The first stop will be Yarmouth Harbour between 09:30 and 10:30, followed by Cowes Esplanade between 11:15 and 12:30.

The fundraising will then move to St James’ Square in Newport between 13:00 and 14:00, before finishing outside Ryde Superbowl between 15:00 and 16:00.

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Purple crocus corms are also available to purchase from PC’s Café on Watergate Road in Newport.

Those wishing to support the campaign can make a donation through the club’s GoFundMe fundraising page, with organisers encouraging contributions of £5 or whatever people can afford.

Donations to Rotary’s polio eradication campaign are matched 2-to-1 by the Gates Foundation, meaning every £1 donated can generate a further £2 towards the fight against the disease.

The Island Rotarians hope the cycle ride and crocus sales will help them exceed their £1,500 fundraising target while highlighting the progress made towards eradicating polio worldwide.