Swathes of purple crocuses are brightening up schools in Sandwich and a member of the Rotary Club which supplied the bulbs has been back to admire them.

In November, the Rotary Club of Sandwich supplied and helped to plant crocus bulbs in schools around the town and neighbouring villages, to mark its End Polio Now campaign.

Among those taking part were Sandwich Infant and Junior Schools, Eastry Primary, Cartwright and Kelsey, St Faiths, Sir Roger Manwood’s and Sandwich Scout Group. Crocus bulbs were also planted in the garden of remembrance at St Clement’s Church.

Rotarian Roger Bailey popped by some of the schools last week, to see how the flowers look now.

He said: “Pupils in Year 4 at Sandwich Junior School showed particular interest in the subject and have written a number of poems about polio and also raised £114, which they have donated to the End Polio Fund through the Rotary Club of Sandwich.”

He added: “The purple crocus has become the symbol of Rotary International’s campaign to eradicate polio throughout the world.

“It was a campaign initiated by Rotary in 1985 and now supported by the World Health Organisation, numerous governments around the world and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“It has seen polio reduced from 350,000 cases in 125 countries in 1988 to just 41 cases in two countries in 2015.”

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