The parish church and schools are supporting Kirkby Rotary Club’s End Polio Day initiative.

The campaign adopted a purple crocus as its symbol, from the dye used to mark the fingers of children when they receive the vital vaccine.

Kirkby Rotarians are running a stall in the town plaza on Saturday, 28th October, selling crocus bulbs and crocus badges, plus bric-a-brac, to add to the fundraising.

The outside of St Wilfrid’s parish is lit in purple, and Annesley and Greenwood and Kingsway, Kirkby, primary schools planted bulbs, sold bulbs and hosted Wear Purple days to raise funds.

Rotarians had a stall in Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton, to increase awareness.

Rotarian Melissa Blythe, the Kirkby club’s projects committee chairman, said: “Rotary around the globe has worked for the past three decades with the World Health Organisation and other agencies to eradicate polio.

“At the start, 125 countries, including Britain, had the disease, but now it’s present in only three – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“The latest information is that there are only 11 cases remaining. But when even one case exists, the disease could still return, so the work has to go on. We are looking for local residents to come and give us their support in Kirkby plaza on October 28th.”

Pictured is some of the planting of crocus bulbs at Greenwood Primary School.