Coppid Beech Hotel turned purple for Polio last week

EASTHAMPSTEAD Rotary Club turned the Coppid Beech Hotel purple on October 24 to mark World Polio Day.

This came on the same day the eradication of wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) was declared; as a part of the Rotary Club’s End Polio Now campaign.

Suzie Mcroy, who has personal experience of Polio and who is the first Easthampstead Rotarian, said: "This achievement means that two of the three wild Polio strains have now been wiped out, an important milestone in the fight to rid the world of Polio.

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“I have always supported the fight against Polio and it was one of the main factors in my joining Easthampstead Rotary Club.

“I am so pleased to see The Coppid Beech Hotel lit up in purple for the week around World Polio Day.”

Reportedly, the virus is only the third infectious disease pathogen to be wiped out in human history, after Smallpox and Polio Type 2.

Vaccination is the only solution for staying safe against the virus and it is administered in five doses during a person's childhood and is usually free on the NHS.

Some 40 years ago, Polio was widespread and could cause rare symptoms that could be life-threatening.

It was being diagnosed in 350,000 children across 125 countries four decades ago.

But those cases fell in the UK after routine vaccinations were introduced, and this led to the elimination of the disease in the UK by the 1990s.

After international efforts, the international number of cases dropped to 74 in 2015, and 33 in 2018.

Coppid Beech Hotel had posters and information displays put up in their hotel lobby, informing guests and visitors about the End Polio Now campaign and the purple facade.

The colour was chosen as it represents a temporary purple mark put on a vaccinated person’s finger.

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Easthampstead Rotary Club has also completed other actions to keep the campaign in local consciousness, including film showings, donation sands, and planting purple crocus bulbs, leaving a legacy for next spring.