SETTLE Rotarians have turned a piece of land in the town into an attractive flower bed planted with purple flowers and shrubs as a symbol of the international campaign to eradicate polio - PolioPlus.

A spokesperson for the Rotary Club of Settle said: "The purple theme is because when millions of children in the only two countries which still have endemic wild polio, Afghanistan and Pakistan, get their two drops of vaccine, their little finger is marked with purple dye.

"This means that the millions of Rotarians and health workers can check for any children without purple fingers."

Since 1985, when Rotary pledged to eliminate polio worldwide, more than 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated.

This year for Polio Day Settle Rotarians ran a stall offering purple crocus badges and purple covered chocolate hearts to passers by in return for a donation.

The day raised more than £130 which was increased to £300 by the club. The amount will be trebled by the Gates Foundation, which will pay for 4,500 vaccinations.