Totton College in Partnership with The New Forest Rotary Club Raise Funds for the Fight Against Polio

Mr Mike Clarke, Foundation committee chairman of The New Forest Rotary Club received a cheque for £250 from the students of Totton College today. The money was raised on behalf of the Rotary club’s ‘Purple Pinkie Day’ held at the College on the 23rd February 2010. This is a national charity raising funds and awareness of the plight of the children in developing countries, mainly across Asia & Africa, who are not vaccinated against Polio, resulting in many contracting this crippling disease. Once they are immunised the children have their ‘pinkie’ finger dipped in purple ink.

The Student Union and other students from across Totton College baked cakes topped with either pink or purple icing and sold them to raise funds. In addition, Beauty students painted finger nails pink & purple in exchange for a donation to the cause. Totton College and The New Forest Rotary Club’s developing partnership has also seen them make a sizeable donation towards the Kenyan Adventure project, a community project in Nakuru village in Kenya funding school developments.

Mike Clarke, of The New Forest Rotary Club said, "This has proved to be a wonderful partnership between the Rotary Club and the College.  This valuable contribution of £250 towards the appeal has meant that 1250 children in India will now be immunised against this crippling disease".

Mark Bramwell, College Principal also said, “The College is proud to be working with The Rotary Club on the ‘End Polio Now’ campaign. We have been working with the Rotarians on a number of exciting and productive initiatives for a couple of years.  They have been mutually beneficial but to see the impact this campaign has on the lives of young people across the world is uplifting and valued by all our students”.

^{Photograph: Mike Clarke (front) with Mark Bramwell (far right) with Totton College students.}