In Albert Park in Abingdon hundreds of purple crocuses are growing.
They were planted in 2017 as part of the campaign undertaken by Rotary International to eradicate Polio in the world. The purple represents the purple ink mark put on children’s fingers after vaccination. This campaign has been sustained since 1985 by Rotary International and partners. In that time polio cases are down 99.9%.
Polio is a virus which affects children under five and causes paralysis and death. When I was young, back in the long and distant past, knowing people affected by the disease was quite common. Polio vaccinations were introduced in the mid-1950s and the disease was eradicated in the UK in the 1980s.