Rotary International recognised Her Majesty The Queen on Monday December 16 with the Rotary International Award of Honour to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her Coronation. Her Majesty The Queen, who graciously accepted the prestigious honour, has been a supporter of Rotary's polio eradication and humanitarian programmes.
The award was taken to Buckingham Palace by Rotary International Director, Mike Webb and Rotary Representative to the Commonwealth, Judith Diment on behalf of Rotary International President, Ron Burton.
Since 1990, the President of Rotary International has granted the Rotary International Award of Honour to deserving individuals. Past recipients include the late Nelson Mandela, Pope Benedict XVI, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan and the late King Hussein of Jordan.
Her Majesty The Queen sent her good wishes for the year ahead to all Rotary club members in Great Britain and Ireland and throughout the Commonwealth and applauded Rotary for its polio eradication program and advocacy efforts. Her message said: “I am pleased that Commonwealth governments are playing their part in tackling disease and improving health for all. Polio for example, used to cast its shadow across many countries and today, thanks to concerted international action, just a handful still need to eliminate polio.”
Rotary made polio eradication its top philanthropic goal in 1985. As the volunteer arm of the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Rotary has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless hours of volunteer service to ending polio. This includes nearly ₤20 million contributed by more than 53,000 members of Rotary clubs in the United Kingdom. To date, more than two billion children have been immunised against the paralysing and sometimes deadly poliovirus.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, has been an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Edinburgh since 1952 and last visited the club in 2007.
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
