LYME REGIS Rotary Club is celebrating as Africa is declared to be polio-free.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced Africa is officially rid of the disease.

Rotary clubs from all around the world have fundraised and campaigned to eliminate polio for more than 30 years.

The Rotary Club of Lyme Regis played its part by organising a number of events over the years to raise awareness and funds for the Rotary International Polio Plus appeal.

The announcement comes four years after Nigeria, the last polio-endemic country in Africa, recorded its final case of wild polio.

It now means of the WHO’s six regions, five of those – which account for around 90% of the world’s population – are entirely free of polio.

Peter Fortnam, member of the Lyme Regis Rotary Club, said:“This is a terrific landmark in the world’s battle to eradicate polio. Although it has been many years since polio has been present in the UK and Ireland, we are proud to have contributed to the global efforts to eliminate the disease for good.

“We remain committed to making the final, challenging steps towards making a polio free world a reality.”