A Pangbourne man has raised £100,000 for a polio eradication initiative, by hosting antique quizzes and talks on the Zulu Wars and scandalous women.

The money will go towards an initiative run by Rotary and its partners.

It all began when Richard Anderson, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Pangbourne, volunteered with fellow Rotarian Jerry Wilson to participate in an Indian polio immunisation campaign in 2010.

The pair were based in Lucknow, in northern India.

Mr Anderson says that trying to make India polio-free "seemed like an impossible task."

His experience with polio went all the way back to his childhood, when a young Mr Anderson visited a ward full of people in iron lungs, at a hospital where his grandfather worked.

He was "terrified and convinced these people were being eaten by some horrible monsters."

But he eventually found out those "monsters," the iron lungs, were in fact saving the polio sufferers' lives.

The Rotarians' task in Lucknow was to find children who needed polio drops and bring them to an Indian nurse who would administer them.

Isolated villages in the far north were visited as part of the pair's efforts, and the system "worked well," according to Mr Anderson.

But on returning to Britain, he felt compelled to do more.

With an interest in unusual antiques, he devised an antique identification quiz, tried it out on his own club, and saw that it went down well.

The idea spread, and bookings started streaming in, exceeding his initial agreement with his wife to conduct only two quizzes a week.

Mr Anderson raised the considerable sum by hosting 374 separate events Mr Anderson hosted talks on the Zulu Wars and 'Naughty Women' to raise the considerable sum, which will go towards a polio eradication campaign of which Rotary is a partner (Image: Supplied)

Proceeds from the quizzes piled up, and were boosted by the generosity of the Rotary Club and by the Bill Gates Foundation's double match funding.

It became a familiar scene for Mr Anderson and his wife to count coins at their kitchen table.

The fundraising activity expanded to include talks on the Zulu Wars, and then a series on 'Naughty Women,' including Eva Braun and Wallis Simpson.

Fast-forward to November 2023, and Richard was edging towards his ambitious goal of raising £100,000 for the polio eradication initiative run by Rotary and its partners.

He worked out which talk would take him over the total, and the triumphant moment was marked by a champagne celebration with his wife.

The feat had taken 374 talks, over more than six years, meaning that the average club had contributed an average of just over £100.

In recognition of his remarkable achievement, Rotary honoured Mr Anderson with membership of the Paul Harris Fellowship, which acknowledges those who raise substantial contributions to the Rotary Foundation.

In a testament to his impact, Mr Anderson has actually earned this honour twice - known as a Sapphire Award.