ROTARY club members are backing a scheme to help give people in some of the most deprived areas of the world the chance of having clean drinking water.

The Rotary Club of Royston has given �350 towards the purchase of Life Straws, a portable water filter that effectively removes bacteria and parasites which are responsible for causing disease. The Life Straws are purchased by the Rotary club and then distributed through Unicef or Medecins Sans Frontieres.

Chris Hardy, president of the Royston club, said: “It’s difficult to believe that there are places in the world where such an essential commodity as clean drinking water is not available.

“These are lifesaving pieces of equipment and essential to areas of the world where there are contaminated water supplies.’’

The money was raised at a charity dinner, held at the Ashiana Spice restaurant in Royston earlier this month.