Twelve thousand crocus corms in an hour. That is the world record which is being attempted by one Rotary club in the West Midlands.
Rotary clubs across Great Britain & Ireland will be planting crocus corms around World Polio Day to mark the event. However, Rotary Redditch Kingfisher are going above and beyond in their quest to tell the community about polio.
The club is urging the community to pick up a dibber and plant crocus corms with them on Sunday, October 13th in Arrow Valley Park.
“As well as getting into the Guinness Book of Records, our aim is to highlight the ongoing battle spearheaded by Rotary to eradicate the crippling disease of polio worldwide,” said Rotary member and project lead, Amanda Watkin.
The club plans a morning of activities focused around the planting, and to ensure everyone is fuelled up and happy the Countryside Visitor Centre team will be ready and waiting.
And the goal is to plant 12,000 crocus corms in an hour. The Rotary club is using social media and wider publicity to find a team of 100 people to plant the corms and a few more folk to assist in the verification required by Guinness World Records.
We want to ensure no one has to experience this in future so knowing the effects and taking action to eradicate this disease is a key driver for all Rotary members here in Redditch and around the world.”
The crocus planting is not a random activity but part of a nationwide awareness and fundraising project across the UK and Ireland.
Each year, Rotary uses the purple crocus as a reminder of the ink placed on a child’s finger during the national immunisation days which take place as part of the Rotary campaign to eradicate the poliovirus from the globe.
In Redditch, these community planted flowers will bloom in the springtime year after year to remind the community of more than 30 years’ effort to eradicate polio.
Amanda Watkin added: “There are people in Redditch who remember the time when polio was feared and some are currently living with post-polio syndrome.
“Having survived the childhood effects, which range from total paralysis to mild neurological dysfunction, the ongoing effects often lead to significant breathing difficulties in later years.
“We want to ensure no one has to experience this in future so knowing the effects and taking action to eradicate this disease is a key driver for all Rotary members here in Redditch and around the world.”
To get involved, contact Amanda.
