MEMBERS of Westbury Rotary Club were out in force planting crocus corms in the grounds of All Saints Church and along Bitham Park in Westbury.
The club reports, “Over 4,000 bulbs were planted to supplement the bulbs planted last year. For over 35 years, Rotary has been committed to fighting to eradicate polio across the world. The original polio immunisation was given on a sugar lump. To prevent enterprising kids going to the back of the queue for another lump, their little fingers were, and still are, dipped in purple ink – hence the Purple Pinkie has become a symbol of the End Polio Now campaign. The planting of purple crocuses is to draw attention to the need to continue supporting the project. A case anywhere is a threat everywhere and it is only a plane ride away! We are very close, but must keep on vaccinating children until polio has been fully eradicated.
“The Purple4Polio activities suggested by Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland are to raise funds and awareness for End Polio Now, Rotary’s global campaign to eradicate polio across the world.
“Rotary’s pledge for a polio-free world was made in 1985 when there were 125 polio endemic countries and hundreds of new cases every single day. In the past few years, only two countries, both in the India/Afghanistan regions, have reported cases of polio caused by the wild poliovirus, but no child anywhere is safe until every child has been fully vaccinated.
“Thanks to Rotary, and the support of our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, there are now just two countries still classed as endemic: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“To finish the job, over 2 billion doses of oral vaccine still have to be delivered to more than 400 million children each year in over 50 countries each year.
“Therefore, Rotary clubs plant crocus corms every year to raise awareness of our efforts to eradicate polio.
“To find more information about the Westbury Rotary Club please contact us. We have a Rotary website Rotary Club of Westbury – welcome. (rotary-ribi.org) which has contact details and a Facebook page The Rotary Club of Westbury Wiltshire UK | Facebook
