Next time you're in The Belvoir Shopping Centre in the spring time, take a look at the purple crocuses planted by Coalville Belvoir Rotary Club. The signs explain the significance of the flowers and their connection to Rotary's aim to rid the world of Polio.
Why Purple?
The purple crocus is a symbol of Rotary’s worldwide campaign to eradicate polio. The colour represents the dye used to mark the finger of a child who has been immunised. A lifesaving oral polio vaccine costs just 20p.
• Polio is a paralysing and potentially fatal disease. It can strike people of any age but mainly affects children under five. Polio can be prevented by vaccines, but it is not curable. Unlike most diseases, polio can be eradicated.
• For over 30 years, Rotary has been working hard to rid the world of polio. When Rotary started the campaign, there were cases present in 125 countries worldwide.
• Today, we have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent, and just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• Rotary members have contributed countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children. The funds we raise provide much-needed operational support, medical workers, laboratory equipment, and educational materials.
• Today, because of the efforts of Rotary and its partners, nearly 19.4 million people who would otherwise have been paralysed are walking, and more than 1.5 million people are alive who would otherwise have died. The infrastructure we helped build to end polio is also being used to treat and prevent other diseases (including COVID-19).
Planting the bulbs
The bulbs were planted by members of Coalville Belvoir Rotary Club, with the help from volunteers, back in October 2022. Here's a few pictures of them hard at work.
Getting involved
If you'd like to get involved with similar projects click here to find out more.
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