4,000 crocuses planted in Cheddar to raise polio awareness

Members of the Rotary Club of Mendip have planted 4,000 crocus corms on the river island in Cheddar Gorge.

This is to help make the public aware of Rotary International's on-going fight to eradicate polio from the world.

Mendip Rotarian Mike Webb said: "Polio is a terrible, paralysing disease that can kill or severely disable children.

"For more than 30 years, Rotary has been working hard to rid the world of polio. When our campaign started in 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio each year in 125 countries.

"This year there has been one case in each of Pakistan and Afghanistan and they were both in January.

"Tremendous progress has been made, but with more than 400 million children receiving around two billion doses of polio vaccine, we need more help from the public to make history by ending polio everywhere now and forever."

When the crocuses bloom early next year, there will be an opportunity to make donations towards vaccination, and receive a special badge.

Mendip Rotary Club members say they are grateful to Cheddar Library for allowing them to mount a window display for two weeks starting yesterday (October 18).