A 68-year-old community figure from Bradford has shaved off his hair, beard and 52-year-old moustache in support of a campaign to end polio worldwide. Dr Manoj Joshi DL had dyed his facial hair purple earlier this month in support of the campaign - before vowing to shave it all off to raise both money and awareness ahead of the Charity Week which takes place between 26 October and 1 November this year.
According to Telegraph and Argus, Dr Joshi underwent his transformation in City Park, and has raised over £3,600 for the End Polio Now campaign in the process. He is currently the immediate past district governor for Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland and the chairman of governors at Bradford Academy. In August, the World Health Organisation certified that Africa was free from wild polio, and now Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where polio is still classified as endemic.
Speaking to the newspaper, he said, "It was a great feeling. A small step like mine raised so much money which will help to vaccinate 75,000 children against polio. I hope actions like mine can make a difference to children and now help to eradicate polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Shaving off my moustache, which I have had for 52 years, was a personal sacrifice which will save a lot of lives and take burdens off of families.
