Crocus Co(r)ms Once a Year

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years, and as a founder of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9% since we started vaccinating children in the Philippines in 1979.   

Great Progress

The measure of our progress is that –

• Only one genetically-linked strain of the virus is still active.
• The virus has been limited to one area on both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• The last two cases in Pakistan occurred – on the same road – with only a matter of a quarter of a mile between the two.
• There is real hope that this year might mark a significant step towards the elimination of the ‘wild’ virus.

Purple4Polio

It is customary in endemic countries to identify children who have received their polio vaccine by staining one of their fingers purple.  A key Rotary Program in this push to eradicate polio around the world is Purple4Polio, recognising this staining by planting millions of purple crocus corms. 

As part of this effort in the U.K., we reported in November 2022 that we planted 4,000 purple crocus corms around the Billericay sign on London Road.  Our efforts bore fruit and visitors entering Billericay via London Road were greeted by the sight of thousands of purple crocuses.  This year is no different.

If Once You Succeed

It was such as success that we repeated the process again on November 9, 2023, but this time around the Billericay sign on Stock Road. 

Six members of the club – President Roger Kettle, Peter Greene, Les Sheppard, Brian Wellman, Bob Godfrey and David Holroyd all gathered at the sign on that day ready for work.  As we reported last November,we lifted the turfs, scattered the crocus corms on the earth below, and then spreading them out for optimum growth.  Then we added some topsoil; and tamped the turf back down again.  Then on to the next section – lift, plant, spread out, add soil, replace turf and tamp down again.

And so it went on until all 4,000 crocus corms -– yes, 4,000 corms - had been planted.  

Corm Again

Not so much the “Big Sleep” (apologies to Raymond Chandler) but more the Big Wait.

Would the corms survive the wet conditions of their planting?

Would the Council cut the grass and “behead” the crocuses as they grew?

Would the heavy rain and sodden ground kill off the corms before they flowered?

We waited with bated breathe.  Come the first of March and the first shoots appeared.  Several days later and the first flowers had started to bloom, and then only a week later, a glorious spread of purple all around the Billericay sign!

This has been a tremendous success as can be seen opposite.  Visitors entering Billericay from the north are now delighted by thousands of crocus flowers around that Welcome to Billericay sign.