Forres area primary schools raise awareness of polio with purple crocuses
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LOCAL primary school pupils helped plant purple flowers to mark World Polio Day.
Representatives from Rotary Club of Forres, including children's committee chairwoman Anne Hyslop, and Rotakids from Dyke, Dallas, Logie, Anderson's and Drumduan planted crocus bulbs as part of the global End Polio Now campaign.
Dallas head teacher Mairi Grant confirmed all 32 of her pupils took part, organised by pupil councillors as Rota leaders.
Eva Landy (9) said: "The more that people are aware that polio still exists, the more they are likely to donate money so that more children can be vaccinated against it."
Annabel Gargaro (11) added: "Raising awareness over the last few years has helped the Rotary to stop polio in Nigeria. Africa is wild polio free now!"
Dyke P6/7 teacher Jessica Barton said her pupils planted their bulbs in the school field.
Millie (9) said: "It's important to plant them to remind us about the disease and so that more people will learn about it."
Owen (10) added: "It’s really important to raise awareness of polio because it’s a dangerous disease. I enjoyed planting the bulbs."
Logie pupils also designed an information leaflet, distributed to other schools to inform pupils about the programme
The wild Polio virus is now 99 per cent eradicated across the globe but it is still present in Afghanistan and Pakistan so it is vital to keep a vaccination programme going.
Forres Rotarians also marked the campaign with an evening of fun to raise money as well as awareness. The purple-themed event on Zoom featured a quiz and an auction for a bottle of Passionately Purple Gin, raising more than £150.
Purple is the colour of the vaccination mark put on children’s finger after they have had the vaccination injection.
