CHARITY fundraisers aiming to wipe out polio in Africa gave a £1 donation to Thirsk Rotary Club to wear purple for the day.

Rotary International runs a polio immunisation Thanks for Life programme and to help boost the scheme’s coffers it ran Purple Pinky days.

Local schools held Purple Pinky days, named after a purple dab put onto African’s fingers to show who has been vaccinated, on February 23.

The Thirsk club encouraged pupils and staff at the nearby schools to each give £1 in order to wear purple or casual dress for the day.

Tony Jordan, of Thirsk Rotary Club, said: "Every £1 we receive from this will see five youngsters in Africa immunised from polio.

"We sent letters to all of the local schools inviting them to get involved and there is a range of activities taking place."

The Thirsk club has also sent ShelterBoxes and AquaBoxes out to recent disaster zones like Haiti to aid the survivors.

These contain basic survival equipment like tents, cooking utensils and water purification facilities.

Local schools are being invited to go to the club’s Castlegate base to view a ShelterBox’s contents on display.

Schools interested in visiting the rotary club’s base can get details from www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.asp?ClubID=249.

Thirsk Rotary Club volunteers are to be collecting in Tesco, on Station Road, in the town from 9am on Saturday, March 27, for good causes.