Barnsley FC’s first team and U23 squad support the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in Barnsley
Brad Collins, Aapo Halme, Jordan Williams and Matty Wolfe were amongst those that visited Priory Campus, Lundwood, to obtain their first vaccine last week.
Reds Goalkeeper, Brad Collins, said: “Everyone at the Club has worked so hard over the last 12 months to fight against this virus and it’s now great that the vaccine has been so successful.
“I understand some may have reservations about needles, but I didn’t really feel anything. It was a simple and easy process.”
James Barker, Chief Executive Officer at Barnsley Healthcare Federation, said: “We’re doing really well with vaccinating people across Barnsley. We’re really keen for people to come forward for their first if they haven’t already had it and we want to welcome back anyone who has had their first and is due their second.
“There’s a range of either pre-bookable or walk-in appointments over the next few weeks, so there’s plenty of opportunity for people to come down to one of the sites and get vaccinated. Hopefully it’s the route back to normality.”
The Barnsley GP vaccination service has given 230,000 vaccines since the programme was rolled out in December with approximately 300,000 vaccines across the whole of Barnsley during that time.
“It has been really challenging,” added Barker. “I can’t believe that it started six months ago and we’re still going with it. We’ve had a lot of support from GP practices and partners across the system, we’ve got a really good mix of staff from community services, the hospital, the council and all the volunteers that we’ve got on site have been provided and supported by Barnsley CVS.
“So it’s a massive community effort to get everything up and running, but it’s really rewarding. Everyone who comes through has always got a smile on their face and it’s really good to be on the frontline and see people get their vaccine.”