News

Rotarians fly the flag over London Skyline on Rotary Birthday

Rotarians fly the flag over London Skyline on Rotary Birthday

On a day that brought rain, sunshine and much more, over 150 Rotarians climbed the 02 Dome in Greenwich to mark Rotary’s 110th Birthday and raise money for End Polio Now and Walk for Water. Community Service Chairman Mukesh Malhotra, Rotarian Adrian Brewer and Vice President Elect Eve Conway were joined by members of Rotary […]

On a day that brought rain, sunshine and much more, over 150 Rotarians climbed the 02 Dome in Greenwich to mark Rotary’s 110th Birthday and raise money for End Polio Now and Walk for Water.

Community Service Chairman Mukesh Malhotra, Rotarian Adrian Brewer and Vice President Elect Eve Conway were joined by members of Rotary and Rotaract clubs from across the country to embark on the climb across one of the most iconic buildings in the capital.

“It was a very special day with many of us braving hail and high winds at the top! It is a great achievement to make the climb and raise money for two great causes and I was very proud to be a part of it,” said Mukesh

At the summit the End Polio Now flag was flown against the capital’s skyline to celebrate the successes in the global campaign for which Rotary GBI has raised over £20 million to date.

Eve explains, “End Polio Now has been a hugely successful Rotary campaign, but there is still much to be done if we are to achieve our dream of a Polio free world, which is why it was so great for the climb to help raise funds for this initiative on Rotary’s 110th Birthday.

“Rotarians started our campaign to rid the world of Polio in 1985 when there were around 1,000 cases a day in 125 countries. The number of cases so far this year is just ten in the three remaining endemic countries, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. And there hasn’t been a case of polio in Nigeria since July last year, so we are “this close” to eradicating the disease.”

The walkers were joined by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greenwich, both of whom had come to honour the work carried out by Rotarians in both the local and global community and Adrian and his team were sent messages of congratulations from a number of esteemed people from inside and out of the Rotary organisation including RI President Gary Huang, RI General Secretary John Hewko, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and world famous actress and avid supporter of End Polio Now, Archie Panjabi. The climb took place in small groups from 12pm through until 5.30pm, with the final climbing group enjoying a fantastic view of the sun setting over London.

Adrian comments: “It has been both a challenge and a pleasure to organise the climb, but all the effort was worth it after enjoying such a fabulous event. The day was topped off by being able to celebrate the work of two great charities, End Polio Now and Walk for Water at the top of the dome while enjoying the most glorious sunset over the city – a perfect finish!”

For more information on the walk or to find out how you can donate to either of the two charities supported, log on to www.benefitgigs.com

 

Tags: