Rotarians promote polio campaign at Lord Mayor’s Show

Rotarians gathered in London at the weekend to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show.

Roughly 7,000 participants took part in the parade around the streets of the capital, which was watched by around half a million people.

As with previous years, the theme of the Rotary procession was Purple4Polio.

“We went with Purple4Polio in the Lord Mayor’s Show to mark the amazing fact that we are so close to making history by eradicating polio and achieving Rotary’s goal of a polio-free world,” said Eve Conway, a past President of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland, and a member of Redbridge Rotary.

“Rotarians were dressed in vibrant purple to celebrate that we are on the brink of an historic milestone: eradicating only the second human disease after smallpox.”

Thank you all for coming to the Show, for taking part, for helping it to move smoothly and keeping it safe. It takes about 7000 people to make a Lord Mayor's Show so there's no way we can thank you all but you know you did it!

Watch it on the iplayer at https://t.co/bCf00JHCDL

— Lord Mayor's Show (@lordmayors_show) November 9, 2019

The Lord Mayor’s Show has taken place for more than 800 years. It dates back to 1215 when King John granted a charter allowing the citizens of London to elect their own mayor.

In 2019, the City of London was celebrating the appointment of the 692^nd Lord Mayor, William Russell, who rode in the procession in a gold state coach.

He was joined in the parade by around 7,000 people, 200 horses, 150 floats and marching bands – and including the Rotarians from the capital and all over the country.

Rotarians were dressed in vibrant purple to celebrate that we are on the brink of an historic milestone.”

They were walking and dancing with the United Wards’ Club and accompanied by a vintage steam traction engine and a 1910 ‘Limonaire’ circus organ.

Tony Sharma, London District Governor for 1130 District and a member of Tower Hamlets Rotary, said: “It’s been a brilliant day. Look at all the people we have got here. We are going to eradicate polio once and for all.”