The Rotary Club of Hitchin Tilehouse has teamed up with Fabio's Gelato to help boost the fight against polio by making a special purple ice cream.

World Polio Day is on Saturday, so Fabio Vincenti from the popular ice-cream store on Hermitage Road has produced a purple gelato to mark the occasion for the big-hearted Rotary group, as part of their 'End Polio Now' campaign, and tie in with the Purple4Polio theme.

Why purple ice cream? In some parts of the world, when a child gets immunised against polio their finger is dipped in indelible purple dye. This allows healthcare workers to visit households the next day to check all eligible children have received the vital life-saving vaccine.

Hence why Rotary's End Polio Now campaign turns purple on Saturday.

Organisers Susan Downie and Stella Farr from The Rotary Club of Hitchin Tilehouse told Nub News: "It only costs 20p for a child to be immunised against this crippling disease.

"Rotary is proud to work with The Gates Foundation where every £1 raised by Rotary becomes £3 enabling 15 children to be vaccinated, and proud to work with Fabio's on this.

"So please pop into Fabio's and buy a yummy purple scoop or two from Saturday onwards and remember to visit our Just Giving site here or by clicking on the QR code displayed in store."

Fabio's will be displaying World Polio Day banners and posters in both their Hitchin and Letchworth shops from Saturday for a week.

Rotary has been supporting polio eradication since 1976. Europe was only declared polio free in 2002 while Africa was declared polio free in August this year.

In 2009 Rotary partnered with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a final push to global eradication.

To donate to this worthy cause click here