As part of Rotary International’s Global Polio Eradication Campaign, events have been taking place across Bedford to mark World Polio Day yesterday (23 October).
The Rotary Club of Middle England organised a week-long programme to raise awareness of the disease, its history, and the progress made towards eradicating it worldwide.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a potentially deadly viral infection that attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis within hours. It mainly affects children under five and spreads through person-to-person contact, often via contaminated food or water.
At its height in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, millions of people were left paralysed or died. Some relied on ventilators such as the Iron Lung, a metal cylinder that helped patients breathe by creating negative pressure around the chest.
Among those who lived longest with the condition was Paul Alexander, who contracted polio at age 8 in 1954 and spent almost his entire life inside an iron lung until he died in 2024.
Rotary members brought a replica iron lung to Bedford to show how it worked and to tell younger generations about the impact of polio.
Visits included Grange Academy and Greys School in Kempston, where pupils asked questions and watched the pump mechanism in action.
Children were given purple balloons, the colour used in Rotary’s global “Purple for Polio” campaign, symbolising the ink mark used on the fingers of vaccinated children.
The display was also set up at Saxon Square Shopping Centre, with many visitors recalling relatives who had used iron lungs or callipers. Bedford Community Police Officers joined the event for photographs and to support the awareness campaign.
This week, the exhibition continues to tour local schools before returning to the town centre.
Lighting Bedford purple
On Thursday, 23 October, Bedford Corn Exchange was illuminated in purple to mark World Polio Day, supported by Bedford Borough Council.
Today, Friday 24 October, the replica iron lung will be on display in Harpur Square from 10am to 4pm.
On Sunday, 26 October, at All Saints Church Hall, Church End, Kempston (2pm to 4pm), the public can see the display and attend a free presentation about the fight against polio. Tea, cake and parking will all be provided free of charge.
