Pershore Rotary is joining thousands of other Rotary clubs around the world this week in supporting World Polio Day.

Rotary members throughout Great Britain and Ireland are holding Purple4Polio events to raise awareness and donations for the Rotary campaign to End Polio Now and forever.

In Pershore, the club will be getting their green fingers at the ready, planting 5,000 purple crocus corms at Pershore College on Tuesday with the help of college student volunteers and staff.

A club spokesman said: "The purple crocus has become a symbol of Rotary’s fight to end polio, as the colour purple represents the colour of the dye placed on a child’s finger to show they have been immunised against the disease.

"Across the country almost 2.5 million purple crocuses will be planted around World Polio Day, adding to the millions planted in recent years, which will bloom into a carpet of purple next spring.

"Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) over 30 years ago, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.99 per cent, from about 350,000 cases a year in 125 countries to just 22 cases in 2017 and with just three remaining polio-endemic countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

"While tremendous progress has been made, the final steps on any journey are often some of the hardest and 2018 has been far from easy, with 14 cases in the first eight months of the year.

"However, extensive global environmental sampling around the world has made highlighting and mobilising against threats to eradication easier, more targeted and often more effective.

"This re-emphasises the challenges facing the world in ensuring that polio becomes just the second human disease ever to be eradicated."

To find out more about Rotary in Pershore, the polio campaign and other activities, go to pershore.rotary1100.org or contact Bob Marchant at bobmarchant@uwclub.net or on 07850 996732.