Members of Mendip Rotary Club have planted thousands of flowers in an effort to raise awareness for the fight to eradicate polio.

More than 4,000 Crocus Corms will soon line the island in the Cheddar Gorge Yeo.

A member of the group told the Mercury that the Rotary club has worked for three decades on the cause, during which the number of polio cases has dropped considerably.

Weston Mercury: The club has raised funds to eradicate Polio since 1988.The club has raised funds to eradicate Polio since 1988. (Image: Mendip Rotary Club)

Mike Webb said: “Polio is a terrible, paralysing disease that can kill or severely disable children. For more than 30 years, Rotary has been working hard to rid the world of polio.

"When our campaign started in 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio each year in 125 countries.

"This year there has been one case in both Pakistan and Afghanistan during January. Tremendous progress has been made, but with more than 400 million children receiving around two billion doses of the polio vaccine, we need more help from the public to make history by ending polio everywhere now and forever.”

The crocuses are expected to bloom early next year.