Newlyweds first in line at mass vaccination centre
COUPLE HOPE IT IS STEP NEARER TO PROPER FAMILY CELEBRATION
A NEWLYWED couple became the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine at a new mass vaccination centre in Mansfield.
The centre, in a former Wickes store on Chesterfield Road South, opened to patients for the first time yesterday.
Geoff Holland, 90, and his wife Jenny, 86, were first in line to receive the jab – just months after their wedding in August last year.
The couple were due to marry on Mrs Holland’s birthday in April but their special day had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
Mrs Holland, who got engaged to Mr Holland on New Year’s Eve in 2019, said: “We had a fight on our hands to get married.
“We eventually went ahead on the only available date – August 22 – with just two witnesses.
“We’re really excited to be getting the vaccine – hopefully one day soon we’ll be able to have a get-together and celebrate with our family and friends who couldn’t be there on the day.”
The couple met at Town View, Mansfield District Council’s independent living scheme for the over-55s, and soon fell in love.
After their ceremony, the couple went out for a meal with four guests but were unable to have the music and dancing they had planned, or share a wedding cake with the other residents of Town View.
The Mansfield Vaccination Centre is the first of its kind in Nottinghamshire, and opens just days after another centre at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham on Saturday.
The Mansfield mass centre is one of 32 across the country.
People aged 75 and over, who live within a 45-minute drive of the Mansfield centre, are now being invited to book their vaccination.
It brings the total number of vaccination sites run by Nottinghamshire CCG to 11 in total across the county.
Amanda Sullivan, accountable officer for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It’s great news that our large-scale vaccination centre has opened its doors for the people of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. “We’ll be vaccinating as many people over 75 as possible in the days, weeks and months ahead. Our teams have been working hard to make sure residents feel safe at the centre, can maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as efficiently and as quickly as possible. “From the nurses, doctors and pharmacists to the cleaners, security guards and volunteers - it’s been a real round-the-clock effort to transform this site. Thank you to everyone involved.” Mr Holland’s daughter, Kathryn Turner, and her husband, Roger, of Mansfield Woodhouse, have only seen the couple very briefly when they are dropping shopping off at Town View’s main door.
Mrs Turner said meeting Mrs Holland has transformed her father’s life and she is hoping to spend more time with him soon, now he has been vaccinated. She said: “We have missed them so much.
“They are so in love and such lovely people.
“It’s fantastic that they are getting the vaccine so their love story can continue.
“They are so independent and do everything together. Hopefully this will help us all get back to some sort of normality.
“He needed either a walking frame or a mobility scooter but meeting Jenny has taken years off him – he looks 20 years younger.
“He only uses a walking stick now but sometimes he even forgets about it because he’s so busy holding her hand.”
All booking lines for Covid-19 vaccine appointments are now open to over-80s and over-75s across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
You can now book your appointments via the local booking system or by calling 0115 883 4640.
Andy Abrahams, executive mayor of Mansfield, said: “This is a wonderful moment for Mansfield and the wider area as we welcome this large-scale vaccination site to our district. This will play a vital role in the biggest immunisation programme in NHS history.
“I’m very proud of everyone who has worked so hard to get to this stage – from the tradespeople who have prepared the venue, to the cleaners, volunteers and many more who are providing support. We will continue working with our partners to support this historic operation.”
It’s fantastic they are getting the vaccine so their love story can continue
Kathryn Turner