Shropshire Star

Oswestry's purple patch

Thousands of crocus bulbs are being planted to celebrate the success of an eradicate polio campaign.

Published
Oswestry Rotary Club’s Justin Soper and Borderland’s Sherie Soper busy planting some of the thousands of bulbs near the entrance to central Car Park.

Oswestry Rotary Club and Borderland Rotary Club have joined forces to plant the builds in and around the town.

The two clubs are strong supporters of the International Rotary Foundation’s involvement in the project.

Geoff Barre, spokesman for the project in Oswestry, said: "With polio on the verge of being eradicated worldwide, the effort to treat the last few areas where it is endemic will take a proportionally greater effort.

"When the children receive their vaccine by drops from a pipette, they have a finger dipped in purple dye. That is the reason why the purple crocus has been adopted as the international symbol of the aim to eradicate polio."

As well as helping to fundraise, the Oswestry and Borderland Rotary clubs are preparing for World Polio Day next February by planting thousand of crocus bulbs. They will be seen around the town welcome signs, in the parks, along footpaths and entrances to car parks.

The bulbs are purchased from the international campaign with the money going to the International Rotary Foundation Fund which is driving this project.