Growing Together to End Polio Now

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Symbolising the purple dye used to paint the little finger (pinkie) of children receiving the vital vaccine to protect them against this crippling and sometimes fatal disease, no less than 340,000 purple crocus corms will be planted by Rotarians and community groups throughout Oxfordshire, Berkshire, South Bucks and West Middlesex in all manner of public places. Local authorities, Britain in Bloom, schools,  playgroups and company volunteers have all joined in to transform public spaces with waves of purple to brighten up the local area, promote health and wellbeing and raise awareness of End Polio Now.

Bracknell Town Council joined Bracknell Rotary with great gusto as Bracknell in Bloom were joined by local schools, playgroups and volunteers from sponsoring companies to plant 10,000 Purple4Polio crocus corms in public areas across the town. Download the full story

Bicester Rotary Club and friends from Bicester 41 Club, Bicester Tangent, Bicester U3A and Cooper School Sixth Form braved the traffic as they planted 20,000 corms in partnership with Cherwell in Bloom on the Buckingham Road roundabout on the town's ringroad. This took one hour and ten minutes. That's a rate of 286 corms per minute!  Big thanks to Cherwell District Council for doing all the groundwork!

Banbury Rotary Club, determined to paint the town purple and involve the whole community in raising awareness for End Polio Now, ordered a bumper number of corms and will celebrate the crocus blooming with their Crocus Concerts in March. Download the details

Easthampstead Rotary Club shared a total of 5,000 crocus bulbs to a number of schools in the Wokingham and Bracknell area to plant in the grass in the school grounds and received great press coverage. Pictured are students at High Close School, Wokingham and Garth Hill College, Bracknell, but other participating schools are Emmbrook Junior and Gorse Ride Infant and Junior School in Wokingham; and Brakenhale Academy, Meadowvale Primary and Winkfield St Mary's CE Primary in Bracknell. See Bracknell News and Wokingham Paper

Faringdon Rotary Club planted crocuses throughout the town and in neighbouring villages with the help of local residents. The Pumphouse Rotakids planted pots of crocuses and sold them at the Apple Day Market

Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club chose Grenfell Park to make their big purple splash for the spring by marking out 'Rotary' on a grassy knoll and filling the letters with 5,000 corms, hitting the headlines in the Maidenhead Advertiser

Marlow Bridge Rotary Club, the newest club in our district, gave End Polio prominence in their community by planting 10,000 Purple4Polio corms in Riley Park which they are currently rejeuvenating with Riley Park Trust volunteers. Great media coverage in Bucks Free Press

Newbury Rotary Club: The new Interact club at Park House School is just one of the many community groups involved in helping to 'paint the town purple' for End Polio Now. Read more....

Oxford Spires Rotary Club members planted crocus corms at two sites in Oxford managed by Restore, the mental health charity.

Thatcham Rotary Club planted 15,000 crocus corms at the Henwick sports field with the Town Mayor, plus a further 5,000 at other sites around the town.

Uxbridge Rotary Club planted 5,000 crocus corms on different sides of Uxbridge, split between  Fassnidge Park adjacent to a Children's playground and around the Cedar Tree previously planted by the Club in Court Park .The weather was okay but the ground was rock hard. One club member supplied the team with some great home made cakes and when the job was completed they retired to the local hostelries for well earned fortifiers.

Witney Rotary Club and Witney Horticultural Society planted 15,000 crocuses outside Witney Hospital, the health centres in Welch Way, Langdale Gate and in Witan Way. Read more...

Woodstock and Kidlington Rotary Club planted 16,000 crocus corms sponsored by Cherwell in Bloom on the Langford Lane roundabout at the northern approach to Kidlington.

Watch this space as more planting pictures arrive.

Please send your stories and pictures to webmaster@rotary1090.org