Cathedral turned into mass vaccination centre, complete with beautiful music

Measured against the towering marble columns of Salisbury Cathedral – an 800-year-old architectural wonder in England’s south – the 1000 elderly locals who have been asked to gather inside look alarmingly small and vulnerable.

But after their visit they are, at least, a little more hopeful. In a rare fusion of church and clinic, the cathedral has been turned into a mass vaccination centre under Britain’s war-like effort to crush its disastrous coronavirus outbreak. ‘‘This building has been here for eight centuries to give glory to God and serve God’s people,’’ says the Dean of Salisbury, Nicholas Papadopulos. ‘‘Right now, the best way we can serve God’s people is by getting jabs into their arms.’’

Of all the town halls, stadiums, conference centres and other venues commandeered for the rollout, Salisbury Cathedral is unique. Its two organists, David Halls and John Challenger, play soothing hymns for 12 hours a day as residents aged 70 years and older shuffle in and roll up their sleeves.

‘‘You want to get the tone right,’’ says Challenger, the cathedral’s assistant director of music. ‘‘We’re aiming for music which is calming, recognisable and going to put people at ease. Many of the people here are vulnerable and haven’t left their home for a long time.

‘‘This is an amazing thing to see and it’s an absolute privilege to be part of it.’’

Salisbury Cathedral boasts the UK’s tallest spire and best preserved original version of the Magna Carta.The Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel has been cleared out to make room for refrigerators and trestle tables where medicos carefully prepare the vials. The magnificent Gothic cloisters are the perfect space for people to queue before entering. And in the cavernous nave, people sit and wait for 15 minutes to be monitored for any serious adverse sideeffects.

‘‘I just feel very relieved,’’ says Lilian Jackson, 88, who with husband David, 90, was vaccinated over the weekend.

‘‘We have been isolated for a year. We won’t rush back to normal any time soon but it is nice to know we might be a little more protected.’’

Papadopulos first offered to turn over the cathedral back in December when regulators granted emergency approval for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. – Nine

AP A medic monitors people who sit and wait after receiving their vaccine at Salisbury Cathedral.