Purple crocuses around Whitehaven town centre are aiming to help raise funds to finally eradicate polio.

Members of the Rotary Club of Whitehaven Castle and its Rotakids Club from Jericho School planted the bulbs in autumn to highlight the Purple 4 Polio campaign.

Rotary Clubs across the world, together with the Bill Gates Foundation, have raised millions of pounds to fund immunisation programmes.

Now, Purple 4 Polio teddies are being displayed in the Chase Hotel, Whitehaven Garden Centre, the windows of Dixons and Wool 'n' Tots on Lowther Street to raise awareness of the crocuses.

Fabric crocus brooches are also for sale at the wool shop.

Elly Day, secretary of the Rotary Club of Whitehaven Castle, said: "In 2008 there were 1,651 reported cases in the endemic countries. Now, because of the mass immunisation, only 37 cases were reported in the whole of last year.

"So far this year, there has only been one reported case from Afghanistan, which is good news.

"The world has to be polio free for three years before the World Health Organisation will declare that it has been finally eradicated.''

And she added: "Many thanks to the Rotakids Club, everyone who sponsored the crocuses or is displaying a teddy and Susan Fryer of Copeland Open Spaces, for their help.''

Rotary International adopted purple crocuses as its emblem as children have their little finger dipped in a purple dye to identify they have been immunised.