Purple Crocuses in Bloom at the Rotary Garden March 2021
The arrival of Spring brings a reminder of Rotary's campaign to eradicate Polio
A Rotary Garden has been created outside the Hambleton District Council headquarters at Rotary Way, Stonecross, Northallerton by the Northallerton Mowbray Club working with the Northallerton Rotary Club.
As part of the planting scheme we have created a circle of purple crocuses representing the Rotary Wheel, and a sign has been erected to explain the connection to the Rotary Polio Eradication campaign.
The importance of purple is that every child who receives the polio vaccine has the nail on their little finger painted with purple nail varnish to signify that they have received the vaccine as part of that year's campaign.
The campaign organised by RotaryInternational, working with the World Health Organisation, commenced in 1985. In more recent years the campaign has received backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2021 only two countries in the world are still affected by this terrible disease - Pakistan and Afghanistan. So whilst the campaign and vaccinatioin programmes have been a great success there is a need to continue with the work until the disease is finally beaten across the world.
.jpg)