IT'S the perfect partnership - Poohsticks is turning Purple to try to beat Polio.

The organisers of Witney's World Poohsticks Championships have invited this year's competitors to come draped in damson and lashings of lavender in a charity special edition.

The Rotary Club of Oxford Spires will also be handing out purple Poohsticks for the first time, volunteers will be in indigo and there are promises of other purple pomp.

The colourful cavorting is all part of Rotary International's Purple4Polio campaign which aims to completely eradicate the disease.

Club member Richie Gray, who helps organise the championships at Langel Common, said: "As a club within Rotary we are working tirelessly to ensure that Polio is eradicated for good and with just three remaining countries where polio is still endemic – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria – we believe that we can rid the world of this deadly disease forever."

Polio is a viral infection that used to be common in the UK and worldwide but is now rare because it can be prevented with a simple vaccination.

Most victims only suffer flu-like symptoms but in a tiny proportion – less than one per cent – the virus attacks the nerves in the spine and base of the brain which can cause paralysis, usually in the legs, which can be permanent.

Rotary International made a commitment to eradicating Polio worldwide in 1985.

At that time the disease paralysed more than 350,000 children every single year in 125 countries – or about 1,000 children per day.

Since that time, the number of polio cases has been reduced by 99.9 per cent, with just 74 cases in the whole of 2015 and only 37 cases in just three countries in 2016.

This year's World Poohsticks Championships will be held on Sunday, June 4.

Registration for the championships is already open and teams of four can enter at pooh-sticks.com.

The rotary club said it was always delighted when teams came along in fancy dress, but would be especially pleased to see patches of purple this year.

Individual registration will be open on the day from noon and Witney Music Festival will be providing live entertainment for the second year running.

Cogges Manor Farm, next door to Langel Common, will also be open and there will be stalls providing entertainment, food and drinks.

All profits raised are given to charities supported by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires, including the Purple4Polio campaign.