WHEN I was two years old I was struck down by Polio. I was fortunate: I survived the virus that has killed so many.

There are around 120,000 Polio survivors living in Britain and I am proud to be counted as one of them.

It really saddens me that all too often I hear people speak of Polio as being a ‘disease of the past’ in Britain when in fact there are many thousands of people, just like me, who are still living with the devastating effects of the virus.

For that reason I teamed up with The British Polio Fellowship, and am honoured to be their Ambassador, raising awareness about the often unspoken, hidden plight of the UK’s Polio survivors.

Your readers may have seen me unveiling an amazing dress, specifically designed to accommodate a wheelchair. It was designed by a great British fashion designer, Aleah Leigh, out of 3,500 recycled train tickets to help illustrate that something forgotten can once again not only capture people’s attention – but can have a true, valuable purpose in ways people had not imagined. Just like Polio survivors.

I want Polio to capture people’s attention again. The effects of the virus still impact on people in the UK and for many of them life is about to get a whole lot harder.

Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS) will affect 80 per cent of polio survivors; it makes limbs more painful and mobility even more difficult. We are in great need of your support and attention.

So please don’t ignore us; ask your readers to google The British Polio Fellowship and discover the fantastic work they do, and consider supporting the charity.

(Our campaign hashtag is #polioppsdress).

Anne Wafula-Strike, MBE Ambassador, The British Polio Fellowship