Selhurst Park becomes mass vaccination centre

Crystal Palace Football Club is to open its gates to the public once more as it becomes one of the latest NHS vaccination sites, officials have announced.

The club donated Selhurst Park, its home ground in south east London, to the NHS to be used as a vaccination centre.

The Glaziers Lounge in the Main Stand has been adapted to accommodate NHS staff, volunteers and local residents who have been invited to get their Covid-19 vaccination.

Colchester FC’s Jobserve Community Stadium is also to become a vaccination centre, the NHS in England said.

The clubs are among a number of new mass vaccination centres which came online on Thursday.

Basingstoke Fire Station has also become a vaccination centre – with firefighters helping out with the programme when they are not responding to emergency calls.

There are now 90 large vaccination centres, 192 sites run by High Street pharmacies, more than 1,000 GP-led vaccination services and 250 hospital “hubs” delivering jabs.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director said: “The NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history, is off to a strong start with more than nine million jabs delivered across England.

“I’ve seen first-hand what getting vaccinated means to those who are jabbed, their families and loved ones, and as more supply becomes available, we are able to expand the scale of this huge programme.

“These new sites will mean even more people live nearby to a large-scale vaccination centre or community pharmacy, which along with the incredible work of our local GPs, pharmacists and their healthcare teams, will allow us to rapidly vaccinate the most vulnerable in our society.”

Dr Agnelo Fernandes, lead GP for Croydon, said: “Our teams have put in a mammoth effort to get this vaccination centre up and running and we’re incredibly grateful for the facilities and time provided by Crystal Palace Football Club to ensure it is a success.”

The 39 new vaccination centres are:

Riverwalk School, Bury
Alastair Farquhason Centre, Thurrock
Angel Centre, Tonbridge
Avanti Meadows School, Stortford
Bedford Heights
Chelmsford Racecourse
Clacton Hospital, Clacton-on-sea
Cliff Pavillion, Southend
Colchester FC, Jobserve Community Stadium, Colchester
Connaught Hall, Attleborough
Corn Exchange Theatre, Kings Lynn
Horsefair Supermarket, Wisbech
North Walsham Community Centre, North Walsham
Oak Tree Centre, Huntingdon
Priory House, Shefford
Hexagon Place, Welwyn Garden City
CP House, Ealing
Crystal Palace FC, Selhurst Park, London
Dugdale Centre, Enfield
Harlequins, The Stoop, Twickenham
Lewisham Hospital, London
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London
St Thomas Hospital, London
Elgar House, Hereford
Kingston Centre, Stafford
Lincs Showground, Lincoln
Ludlow Racecourse, Ludlow
St Peters Church, Worcester
The Bowling Centre, Shrewsbury
Jacob’s Well, Bradford
John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield
Glaxo Sports Centre, Ulverston
Westmorland Shopping Centre, Cumbria
Basingstoke Fire Station, Basingstoke
Hamble House, St James Hospital, Southsea
Riverside Leisure Park, Isle of Wight
Welcome Building, Devonshire Quarter, Eastbourne
Woodville Halls, Gravesend
Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge