Friday, May 18th

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Drumming to eradicate polio

End_Polio_NowYoungsters and staff dressed up in red to show their support for a campaign to eradicate polio.

Up to 28 residents from Liaise Loddon's seven care homes for people with autism and learning difficulties joined in the fundraising drive.

Led by the administrator of the Basingstoke Disability Forum, Paul Midgley, the group spent more than three hours playing music to raise cash.

Paul said: “The people there had an amazing time, they were in good spirits and they really engaged with the music.

“The event was unique for those people in that room - the whole atmosphere was unique.”

The event was part of Rotary International's worldwide End Polio Now campaign, which since 1988 has raised more than £800 million pounds.

Polio is a virus that infects the nervous system and can cause crippling paralysis.

Europe was declared polio free in 2002. In 2010 the disease was still present in small pockets of Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.