Eradicating Polio

Eradicating Polio Worldwide

Members of the Rotary Club of Taunton were joined by The High Sheriff of Somerset Mrs Janet Montgomery, and volunteers from Maidenbrook Country Park to plant 4,000 crocus corms. The purple flowers symbolise the colour used to mark children around the world who receive a vaccination against Polio as part of the global campaign to eradicate the life-threatening virus.

The first batch of the corms were planted under commemorative trees that had been placed in the park to mark the Rotary Club’s centenary in 2022. These should bloom between February and March and provide a carpet of colour to herald the arrival of spring.

Rotary's polio eradication program, launched in 1985, is a worldwide initiative to eliminate polio through fundraising, advocacy, and volunteer work. Rotary partners with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and other organizations to fund and support mass vaccination campaigns, with a focus on immunizing children, most notably through initiatives like the "End Polio Now" campaign. These efforts have drastically reduced polio cases worldwide, though challenges remain, especially in the few remaining endemic countries. 

Taunton Rotarians were among the first British club members to get behind the project and the black and white photograph below shows the then club president, Peter Nott (far left) and supporters promoting the cause in 1988.  

Further information about the charitable work of Rotary, locally and further afield, can be found at  www.tauntonrotary.com 

The other photos show Rotarians and volunteers planting the tiny corms with participation by The High Sheriff Janet Montgomery; a past Mayor of Taunton Nick O’Donnell and Adrian Prior-Sankey the current Taunton Rotary Club President.