Purple haze at Daventry County Park park thanks to Rotary

Rotary Club volunteers joined Daventry District Council staff and council chairman David James last Friday to plant 2,500 crocus bulbs, also known as corms, at the park’s sensory garden and outsikde the visitor centre.

The flowers should bloom in late February/early March, creating a sea of purple which will come back year after year.

The purple crocus is a symbol of Rotary’s worldwide ‘Purple4Polio’ campaign to eradicate polio, with its colour representing the purple dye used to mark the finger of a child to indicate they have received their life saving oral polio vaccine.

Danetre Rotary Club is with the Gee Tee bulb company, who provided the crocus Ruby giant corms for planting.

Some of the bulbs were donated to the ‘Haunted Heads’ pot planting working activity which took place at the visitor centre during the October half term.

Chairman of the Council, Cllr David James, said: “We are very pleased to work with the Rotary Club on this project.

“Not only will it provide a welcome spectacle for visitors to the Country Park come the spring, but it will also help to raise awareness of the work being carried out by Rotary and its members across the world in an effort to eradicate polio.”

He praised volunteers.

Danetre Rotary Club has now planted thousands of bulbs at locations across Daventry district, including the Mercure Hotel, where the club holds its weekly meetings, the Twinning Area in London Road, and villages including Welton, Whilton, Woodford Halse and Braunston.