Volunteer for Purple4Polio Crocus Planting in Chinnor (11/10)

Give two hours to help brighten Chinnor and support the global campaign to end polio.

Join Chinnor Rotary members to plant thousands of Purple4Polio crocus corms on the green areas around the Wheatsheaf Pub. Volunteers are welcome for the full two-hour session.

Event details

• Date: Sunday 11 October 2026
• Time: 10:00 am–12:00 noon
• Meeting point: The Wheatsheaf Pub, Oakley Road, Chinnor OX39 4HX
• What to wear: Wellington boots or sturdy walking shoes.
• What to bring: Your own dibber, if possible; a dozen dibbers will also be available to borrow. Bring your garden gloves.
• Physical requirements: Planting involves bending and working outdoors, so volunteers should be in good physical condition.

Why purple crocuses?

Chinnor Rotary is joining hundreds of Rotary clubs and community groups across the UK in planting Purple4Polio crocus corms. The flowers highlight the work of Rotary and its partners to end polio worldwide. Their purple colour symbolises the ink used to mark the little finger of children who receive the vaccine in at-risk countries.

“We’re really excited to be getting involved for the third consecutive year in planting thousands of Purple4Polio crocus corms here in our village of Chinnor.”
— Marius Ciortan, President, Chinnor Rotary Club

Help make polio history

Polio is a deadly disease that mainly affects children under five and can cause paralysis or death. Rotary has been at the centre of the fight to eradicate it for more than three decades.

• Nearly 3 billion children have received the polio vaccine.
• Nearly 19 million people who might otherwise have been paralysed are walking today.
• More than 1.5 million people are alive who might otherwise have died.
• Every £1 raised is matched 2:1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, turning it into £3.

Without full funding, political commitment and volunteer-led action, polio could return. Estimates suggest that if eradication efforts stopped now, the world could see more than 200,000 cases each year within a decade.

The End Polio Now programme helps fund vaccinations, disease surveillance and the transport of vaccines to affected areas. Its laboratory and public-health infrastructure also supports responses to other serious diseases, including COVID-19.

Can you spare two hours? Join us on Sunday 11 October and help Chinnor bloom purple for a polio-free world.