After bad weather prevented the event from taking place on World Polio Day itself, the project was led by former Bexhill Mayor Lynn Langlands and jointly supported by the Rotary Club of Bexhill and the Rotary Club of Senlac St Leonards.
The deputy Mayor of Bexhill, Cllr Paul Peters, came along and helped. Donations were accepted and the amount collected will be matched 2-1 by the Bill Gates Foundation.
Robin Taylor, of Bexhill Rotary, said: “The illumination brought the community’s attention to Rotary’s long-standing commitment to protecting children everywhere from this preventable disease.
“Purple has special significance in Rotary’s polio campaign. In many countries, a child’s little finger is marked with purple dye after receiving the oral polio vaccine, making the colour an internationally recognised symbol of immunisation and hope.
“By lighting the Beach Garden purple, the organisers joined communities around the world in recognising World Polio Day and raising awareness of the work still needed to achieve a polio-free world.
“Rotary International continues to support the worldwide effort to eradicate polio. Its work is strengthened through partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, helping to fund vaccination programmes, disease surveillance and the rapid response required to stop outbreaks.
“The Bexhill illumination demonstrated how a local initiative can help keep this global public-health goal visible. The Rotary clubs thanked Lynn Langlands for leading the project and everyone whose support helped the Beach Garden shine purple for World Polio Day.
Colin Goldsack of Senlac St Leonards Rotary Club, added: “Since 1985 Rotary have spearheaded the campaign from a time when there were over 1,000 polio cases a day in 125 countries, paralysing and even killing children. Today, the number of cases is down by 99.9%. Over the last 35 years, Rotary members, working with communities around the world, have contributed more than US$2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to the fight to end polio.
"Over 400 million children still have to receive their polio vaccinations by the GPEI partners multiple times every single year in more than 50 countries. Rotary members continue to be key players in many aspects of the polio programme including on the ground in a number of countries as well as fundraising and advocacy.
“Failure to eradicate polio could result in as many as 200,000 new cases worldwide every year within a decade.”
5. Lyn Langlands (right) with a Bexhill Rotarian
Lyn Langlands (right) with a Bexhill Rotarian Photo: supplied