The post box topper which has appeared outside Lloyds bank in Ely was knitted by Jenny Axford of the Ely Inner Wheel to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Inner Wheel in January, 1924 by wives of Manchester Rotary Club members.

The women wanted to help alleviate the suffering they saw around them following World War One. Their first act was to deliver 80 pieces of baby clothing to a local hospital.

Inner Wheel clubs sprang up around the country and then spread abroad, with Inner Wheel now present in 104 countries.

The international conference took place in Manchester this month and was attended by Ely club member Susie Sallis-Browne along with more than 2,000 attendees from around the world.

In Ely, the club celebrated by holding a stall on the market at the Eel Festival and gave out leaflets about the club and its activities. Members also sold 100 donated items to raise funds for the chosen charity this year, which is Alzheimer's Research.

On display, was a blanket made up of 100 squares knitted by international secretary Julia Smith. This will be send abroad along with other items knitted by East Anglia members to help disaster victims.

On May 22, the Ely club held its annual fund raising event in support of an international charity.

This year's choice was Literacy in a Box, a charity started in 2005 by Rotary club members in Plymouth.

It sends boxes of school materials such as text books, exercise books and writing materials to impoverished schools in Zambia.

The charity hears regularly from the schools in receipt of the boxes and they report that the rate of completion of primary school education rises from 50 per cent to more than 90 per cent.

 Julia Smith thanked Ian Parker for his talk and informed him that that a cheque for £500 would be sent from the proceeds of the evening.