Well, the whole nation HAS been praying for a miracle...
FOR the past eight centuries it has been one of Britain’s most magnificent places of worship. But yesterday Salisbury Cathedral was drafted into the national battle to beat the Covid-19 pandemic.
The cathedral, dating back to 1220, became a grand vaccination centre where local residents flocked to get their vaccinations.
And as they queued along its medieval cloister, the patients were soothed with the music wafting from the cathedral’s famous Father Willis organ.
Last night, NHS officials in Salisbury said that more than 1,000 patients aged over 80 and healthcare staff were given the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.
First in the queue was former Flight Sergeant Louis Godwin, 95, who fought in the Second World War as a Lancaster bomber gunner.
Mr Godwin, a grandfather of 12, raised a thumb after being vaccinated.
He said: ‘It has been absolutely marvellous to come into this wonderful building and have this jab. It’s the only way we are going to beat the virus.
Anybody that needs one and can get one, I would say go ahead and do it quickly.’
He has been isolating since the first lockdown, and has been able to see his grandchildren only through FaceTime and Zoom.
Stella Bennett, 88, said she felt ‘safer’ after receiving the ‘easy’ injection.
Yesterday’s organ music was devised by David Halls, director of music for the cathedral, and his assistant director John Challenger.
Graham Turner, 88, chaplain of the cathedral, who wore his cassock to greet people, said: ‘It’s such a relief to get the vaccine when you see every single night on television the sheer hell that so many people are going through.’
The local NHS trust said the historic cathedral, which houses a copy of the Magna Carta, was chosen because it was the biggest building in Salisbury, was in the centre of the city, and was well ventilated because of its high ceiling.