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Santa visits children this Christmas

Braintree Rivers Rotary Club would like to say a big THANKYOU to very generous members of the public in Gt. Leighs, Black Notley, Little Dunmow and Freeport shopping village, Braintree.

The Santa Sleigh collection this year raised a fantastic £1300, the majority of which will be donated to our 2007/2008 nominated charities, The Essex Autistic Society and PolioPlus. President Marion Hill would like to thank all club members for their continued support of this successful charity fund raising event.

If you take a close look at the photo above, you might spot a slight resemblance between Santa and DG Brian Piccolo. Many thanks for your time and support!

The Essex Autistic Society

The Essex Autistic Society is an independent charity dedicated to promoting the welfare, education and care of children and adults with autism, whilst supporting families affected by autism.

Autism is a lifelong condition which affects the way a person communicates and relates to other people. People with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) have difficulty with everyday social interaction and can find it very hard to make sense of the world around them.

It is estimated that in the UK autism affects nearly one in 110 people. This means about 500,000 in the whole of the country and almost 14,600 in Essex alone. (figures from the National Autistic Society).

The Essex Autistic Society receives no financial support from the National Autistic Society and therefore relies on fundraising to establish, maintain and expand its services.

Polio Plus

In 1985, Rotary launched the PolioPlus programme to protect children worldwide from the cruel and fatal consequences of polio. In 1988, the World Health Assembly challenged the world to eradicate polio. Since that time, Rotary's efforts and those of partner agencies, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and governments around the world have achieved a 99 percent reduction in the number of polio cases worldwide. In the 1980s, 1,000 children across 125 countries were infected every day. In 2006, fewer than two thousand cases were reported for the year.

Rotarians have delivered vaccine by camels and helicopters, trucks and motorbikes, staffed immunization posts, raised community awareness of the value of immunization, and, in the process, helped to mobilise 10 million volunteers.

Two billion children have been immunized, five million have been spared disability, and over 250,000 deaths from polio have been prevented. Many still live under the threat of polio, which is why Rotary and its global partners continue with their commitment to eradicate this disease worldwide.

For more information, please visit the PolioPlus web site.

[released December 2007]