Crocuses in St Mary’s Churchyard

Banbury Cherwell Rotary Club

October 24th represents World Polio Day and offers the opportunity for Rotary members to unite and celebrate the End Polio Now campaign. The final phase of eradication has proven to be the toughest, but when in touching distance of one of the greatest health achievements in history, “almost” is not enough.

In the face of geopolitical instability and healthcare disparity, ongoing support is more important than ever. It is for this reason Banbury Cherwell Rotary Club has planted crocus bulbs in the churchyard of St Mary’s Adderbury.  Please go to Read More about the End Polio Now campaign.

The purple crocus is a symbol for Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign because the purple dye is used to mark the little finger of a child after they receive a polio vaccination. Planting purple crocuses is a way to raise awareness for the global campaign to eradicate polio, symbolising that immunisations are happening and help the disease’s final eradication efforts.

The purple crocus flower, which blooms each spring, represents this purple marking and symbolises the ongoing fight against polio. Planting millions of crocuses creates a beautiful and hopeful spectacle representing the hope for a polio-free world.

Look out next February for a purple display in the form of a Cross adjacent to the Lychgate at St Mary’s. Banbury Cherwell Rotary Club is very grateful to St Mary’s for permitting the planting project.