Margate Rotarians dig in to bring colour to Trinity Gardens

Rotarians at Trinity Gardens

Margate Rotary Club is helping to bring colour to Trinity Square gardens.

Last week Rotarians planted nearly 5000 purple crocus corns at the Trinity Gardens lawns by the entrance to the car park. The aim is to publicise the campaign to eradicate polio worldwide.

The crocuses are in addition to the ones planted last year in Trinity Lawns to form of a circle with the words “Margate Rotary Club End Polio Now”. These will bloom every Spring from next year.

At the start of the campaign in 1988, some 350,000 cases of polio were reported annually. In 2016 there were just 35 cases worldwide. When all countries have three years without any reported cases, eradication will be achieved. In the meantime worldwide vaccinations of children will continue.

When there are mass vaccination of thousands of children all in one day, purple is the colour of the dye used on a child’s finger to identify that they have been vaccinated.

Mike Bastow, President of  Rotary Club of Margate, said: “As a club we have worked tirelessly to supply funds to Rotary International to ensure that polio is eradicated for good. With fewer cases being reported we believe the campaign of continued vaccination of children can end this deadly disease forever.”