Sandown Rotary has generously given Sandown Green Town volunteers 3,000 purple crocus corms for planting across Sandown this autumn in support of the Purple4Purple campaign.
Rotary Great Britain and Ireland have launched the Purple4Purple campaign to raise funds and awareness for End Polio Now, a global program to eradicate polio across the world.
Christine Jackson, Chair of Sandown Green Town Volunteers said:
“3,000 is a lot of bulbs! We saw this as a great opportunity to liaise with other groups across Sandown. Everyone we approached was delighted to join in. So crocuses were planted in the Willow Walk, thanks to the Common Space, in the Isle of Wight Zoo and at Battery Gardens, thanks to the Friends of Battery Gardens.
“We were especially delighted to be able to join with children of the Bay CE School in planting up their ‘living crosses’. This was a great experience bringing together some of the youngest members of the community with some of the oldest. Fortunately, most of the planting had been planned for the Wednesday before the 2nd lockdown started so we were in compliance with Covid guidelines.
“It was a glorious day showcasing the beauty of Sandown and the Bay, and Sandown’s great community spirit. Those of us who remember the devastating effects of Polio in this country are more than happy to support such a good cause. There is no cure for polio so vaccination is vital.”
Polio is a viral infection that used to be common in the UK and worldwide. Cases of polio in the UK fell dramatically following mass-vaccination programs in the late 50s. There has not been a case in the UK since the mid-80s.
Rotary first pledged to work for a polio-free world in 1985 when there were 125 polio-endemic countries and hundreds of new cases every day.
In the past few years, only 2 countries have reported cases of polio caused by the wild poliovirus. However, no child anywhere is safe until every child has been fully vaccinated. To finish the job over 2 billion doses of oral polio vaccine still have to be administered to more than 400 million children in over 50 countries each year.
Only when there are zero cases of polio and zero positive environmental samples can the world finally be certified polio free.
