Polio Plus and the Purple Crocus

On World Polio Day, 24 October, Rotary calls for continued public support to eradicate polio worldwide through the Polio Plus campaign. The purple crocus flower is the chosen emblem of Polio Plus.

On Saturday 19 October 9  we set up stall on Bucky-Doo Square to pass on the good news about the control of polio and the significance of the purple crocus. We offered crocus corms at low cost for people to plant and when they flower they will be a reminder of the fight against the disease. It was a pleasant day with the people of Bridport and visitors enjoying the busy market and having the opportunity to make a donation if they so wished. Weather permitting, we will be there again again on 26th October.

Our first donation came from someone who was keen to support the campaign. He had a good and understandable reasons; he had experienced the disease as a child. Along with the many people we spoke to, we were pleased to welcome a member of a Rotaract Club in Sri Lanka who is here on a work exchange. We also had the privilege of a visit from the  Bridport Town Crier, John Collingwood, who, as always, was in very good voice!

As well as the interest in Polio Plus and the crocus corms, several people asked if we we would be selling hyacinth bulbs again this year. The answer was ‘Yes but not for a few weeks”. Their interest was very encouraging for future sales!

Progress toward reaching a polio-free world this year would not have been possible without vaccines. Thanks to their safety and efficacy, the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region, which includes India, is celebrating a decade free of wild polio, and the WHO Region of the Americas, which includes the United States, is celebrating 30 years of the same.