A sea of purple crocuses is a stunning start to spring, so why not buy some crocus corms at a special stall on Sherborne Parade on Saturday, October 23 and raise money to help eradicate polio?

The Rotary Club of Sherborne Castles is urging folk to get planting for the Purple 4 Polio campaign, and are selling 40 corms for £5.

While polio is now limited to just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, many countries are still at risk of the disease returning, making continued immunisation programmes vitally important.

The purple crocus is the emblem of PolioPlus – as when the children are vaccinated their fingernail is painted with a purple dye to prevent them being vaccinated again.

In September 1979, volunteers administered drops of oral polio vaccine to children in the Philippines. The subsequent immunisation campaign was such a success that it led to Rotary making polio eradication throughout the world a top priority and in 1985 Rotary launched PolioPlus.

In September last year Africa was declared polio free – leaving just Afghanistan and Pakistan with the disease.