AS A PUSH to ‘End Polio Now’ Island Rotary groups and chidren from Lake Middle School gathered outside Spithead Business Centre to plant 5,000 purple crocus bulbs.
Gathering on the verge between the road and the car park, repre- sentatives from Rotary, the school
children and Spithead Business Centre’s owner Mr. William Smith posed together before getting down to the challenge of planting the tiny tubers.
“I was more than happy to enable this bulb planting,” said Mr. Smith. “Raising awareness of polio immunization is a very worthwhile project. When I was younger the disease could still be caught in this country and we ought to seek to see it eradicated worldwide.”
President of Shanklin Rotary, Mr Bill Wyke, organised the mass planting to raise awareness of the current push to raise £250m towards polio immunization in the developing world.
“If Rotary can match fund this amount Bill Gates has agreed to match fund with another £250m,” said Lora Peacey-Wilcox of Cowes Rotary.
Rotary groups from around the world have already raised £150m. Purple crocuses were chosen as the children have a finger dipped in purple dye at medical clinics to indicate that they have already been immunized.
Also at the event were John Hamar the president of Cowes Rotary, Maire Reeves of Vectis Sunrise Rotary and Fred Gilliland and Tom Gifford of Sandown Rotary.
Deputy Head of Lake Middle, Mr Chris Ball, brought school council members from the school along with others who held positions of responsibility within the school.
“We do a lot of work with Bill and were more than happy to do so,” said Mr Ball.
