Bilston goes ‘Purple for Polio’

The Rotary Club of Bilston and Wolverhampton West visited Bilston C of E Primary School to help raise awareness of the disease.

Rotarians, Councillor Beverley Momenabadi and last year’s Mayor’s Consort, Elaine Haley-Howell spent time planting crocuses at the school.

Rotary clubs worldwide help to plant millions of purple crocuses every year to raise awareness for efforts to end polio by adding a splash of purple to communities.

The reason Rotary choose purple crocuses is because when a child receives their life saving polio drops on mass polio immunisation days in many countries their little finger is painted with a purple dye so it is clear they have received their life-saving vaccine.

This year was a significant year in the fight against polio as Rotary celebrated a monumental achievement as in August, all 47 countries in the region of Africa were declared free of wild poliovirus.

Crocuses have also been planted in other areas of Bilston too including at the famous Bert Turner Boulevard.

Andy Baker, the President of Bilston and Wolverhampton West’s Rotary Club said: “Elaine and Bev spent time talking this week to the schoolchildren before they began planting crocuses about the significance of World Polio Day and the need to eradicate the life threatening and disabling poliovirus.”

And, whilst planting crocuses, Councillor Beverley Momenabadi, who is a Governor at the school, also donated some apple and pear trees to the school which the children planted.

She said: “It’s so important that children have access to fruit and healthy foods. The school already provide free fruit for children so these trees will allow them to grow their own on site.”

Spring each year sees a purple carpet of crocus blooming in many communities across Great Britain and Ireland thanks to the Purple Crocus Corm planting to raise awareness of the Rotary fight for a polio free world.

Thank you to the school children and Rotary Club.