Thousands of crocuses have begun popping up at the Olympic site at Stratford to create a purple walkway.

And they will continue to do so for years to come. But there is more significance to the floral feature than just having a colourful display around the View Tube facility on the Greenway.

It marks London Rotary’s global campaign to eradicate the crippling disease polio. Purple crocuses have been planted across London and nationwide as part of the organisation’s Thanks for Life/End Polio Now campaign. Other London locations include Regent’s Park and the Blue Peter Garden at the BBC Television Centre.

Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland are calling on the public to help the campaign.

Thanks to members, two billion children have been protected from the disease through an immunisation initiative and the number of countries where the disease is endemic has fallen from 125 to just four – Afghanistan, northern India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland president Jim Moulson says Rotarians do more than raise funds: “At least

twice a year, Rotary members fly out to India to help with national immunisation days which take place every six weeks. Thousands of vaccination stations are set up in cities across the country, readyto welcome families and their children.”S