Rotary clubs are taking part in a multi-billion pound worldwide drive to eradicate polio, supported by computer magnate Bill Gates.

Six Rotary clubs in Sutton are joining the Thanks for Life campaign, to complete the vaccination of every child in the world against polio, with a week of fundraising in the area.

The Rotary Clubs of Carshalton, Carshalton Beeches, Cheam, Sutton, Nonsuch and Wallington will be taking part in the campaign with fundraising in Sutton.

To date, Rotary has contributed nearly £540m and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2bn children in 122 countries.

They are working to raise a further £130m so they can receive a £225m grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The club has also played a major role in getting donor governments to contribute over £2.5bn to the effort to rid India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria of the disease.

Peter Morley, from Sutton Rotary Club, said: “The Rotary club has been working to eradicate polio worldwide for 25 years now, and there are four countries where polio is endemic and we still need to promote polio vaccination.”

The Sutton clubs have been raising funds this week in the St Nicholas, Sainsbury and Tesco shopping centres, and are working with several Sutton schools to raise awareness. St Dunstans Primary School has already raised £690, Sutton Grammar School will have presentations by its headteacher, Rotarian Gordon Ironside.

On Rotary’s 105th anniversary, on Tuesday, Sutton’s mayor, Margaret Court, saw the Thanks for Life display outside Robert Dyas. In the evening, the Sutton clubs attended a joint celebration dinner, which was addressed by Rotarian Peter Dancy, local district governor and member of the Carshalton club.

Anyone wishing to make a donation or find out more should call Rotarian Peter Morley on 07940 014463.

Highly infectious • Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly-infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike at any age, but affects mainly children under three.

• The virus enters through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to paralysis, usually in the legs, but also the lungs.

• There is no cure. It can be prevented through immunisation.

• In 1985 there were 1,000 new cases a day. Now reduced to two.