MORE than 120 people enjoyed a pop-up cream tea at Semington Dry Dock to help raise funds to eradicate polio worldwide.

Trowbridge Wessex Mead Rotary Club members raised £490 from the canal-side event attended by 122 people on Saturday, August 4.

Club volunteers became waiters for the afternoon and there were generous donations from Coombe Castle Dairy and Waitrose in Melksham.

The money will go to Rotary International’s PolioPlus funds for the charity, End Polio Now. Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease which Rotary has been working hard to eradicate globally since 1985.

Event co-ordinator Andrew Mullens said “This is the second year we’ve held the event and it’s going from strength to strength.

“It was a great team effort and customers enjoyed their cream teas while supporting a great cause.

“Apologies to those who had a little wait - we underestimated the demand and had to whip up some more scones on site.”

Rotary International, along with other organisations, has helped to reduce polio cases by 99.9 per cent worldwide since its first project to vaccinate children.

Mr Mullen added: “Polio is now close to being eradicated and, as it costs just 20p to protect a child with a life-changing oral polio vaccine, every penny counts.”

The Rotary Club of Trowbridge Wessex Mead’s next event is a dog show at the Trowbridge Carnival Country Fayre on September 8. All proceeds from that event will go to support Canine Partners.

The Rotary Club of Wessex Mead meets in Trowbridge on Monday evenings at 7.30pm. For more details go to www.wessexmeadrotary.org.uk