This week, as part of National Volunteers Week – we are celebrating and recognising the hundreds of people who have given up their time to support the roll out of the Somerset Vaccination Programme across the county. A huge thank you to each and every person who has helped our local vaccination programme to be such a success.
Meet Maria…
Maria Millard, 60, from Draycott, near Cheddar, Somerset is one of our wonderful volunteers at Bath and West Showground Covid Vaccination Centre. Maria has been volunteering at the showground from the day that the centre opened – 25th January 2021.
Before the pandemic, Maria was a travel consultant for Miles Morgan Travel in Wells but was flexi- furloughed because no one was allowed to travel.
She says: “I also work as a steward at Glastonbury Festival and I had heard they were looking for Covid vaccination volunteers, so I applied and here I am.
I have really enjoyed being a volunteer, I’ve met some lovely people. It’s so rewarding to be part of something that will be in the history books one day. The UK has done so well, and I am doing my little bit by helping.
Back in January 2021, many people did not want to mix with each other. For the first six-weeks we had a very small team and we all bonded so well.
It is a fantastic vaccination rollout in the UK, and I am proud of being part of this. In the early days, the elderly, who had been sheltering were so grateful to be offered a solution to Covid-19. In the first few weeks of the vaccination programme, people would bring in boxes of chocolates and cakes and were so very thankful.
When you look at the numbers of the people we have vaccinated, we all feel so proud! It’s especially a nice for me because I often see people, whom I know get their jabs. Everybody is so very grateful!
