A FILM to be shown at Farnham Maltings on Wednesday, January 17, will tell the remarkable true story of the father of producer Jonathan Cavendish, and how, with the support of his wife, he refused to let contracting polio in the 1950s stop him from living life to the full.

Polio is no longer a threat to those of us lucky enough to live in the UK. This is because, since the mid-50s, we have all been vaccinated against it. However, not all have been so lucky - in 1988 polio was present in 125 countries and paralysing 350,000 young children every year.

Now the amount of polio-endemic countries has dropped from 125 to just three, with over 2.5 billion children receiving vaccinations thanks to the help of the Rotary Club. Those three countries are Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

As the film Breathe shows, polio can devastate lives and because of this its eradication has been Rotary’s top priority since 1985, joined later by the Gates Foundation. Along with matched funding from the Gates Foundation, Rotary has contributed over £1 billion to the campaign, with over £14 million donated by Rotary clubs in Great Britain.

With the goal now closer than ever, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s latest campaign, Purple4Polio, is designed to unite communities to engage in activities as part of the final push to eradicate the disease for good.

People can help Rotary achieve this by supporting Purple4Polio and joining the Rotary Club of Farnham and the Rotary Club of Farnham Weyside at the screening of Breathe at Farnham Maltings on Wednesday, January 1,7 at 8pm.

Breathe is an inspirational and highly emotional celebration of bravery and human possibility, a love story about living every breath as though it’s your last.

Adventurous and charismatic Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) has his whole life ahead of him when he is paralysed by polio while in Africa in 1958. Contrary to all advice, Robin’s wife Diana (Claire Foy) brings him home from hospital where her devotion and witty determination transcends his disability.

Together they refuse to be imprisoned by his suffering; dazzling others with their humour, courage and lust for life. Against the odds, Robin’s illness gave him new purpose - fighting tirelessly for the rights of disabled people - and his pioneering work had a huge impact on mobility and access for the disabled.

President of Rotary Club of Farnham, Paul Fry, said: “This campaign is of great importance and because of this I have chosen to support it in my year as president. If you are unable to join us but would still like to support please email [email protected].”