Walsall-based volunteering services council One Walsall have praised the response to their social media call for help with the vaccination rollout in Walsall, as over 400 volunteers offer their time.
Throughout December and January, One Walsall have said that they are looking for volunteers in a range of roles, from administrative support to site guides for vaccination centres.
One Walsall to volunteers: ‘we are grateful’
Walsall have thanked those volunteers, referring to them as ‘community heroes’.
In a statement, a One Walsall spokesperson said the following:
“It is so humbling to see so many local Walsall residents stepping up to support their local communities. We are at a point where we have hundreds of volunteers on our books, and we are grateful to each and every one of them for their continued patience whilst we place them.
We have received really good feedback so far from placed volunteers and from Volunteer Coordinators and GP’s at the vaccine sites, expressing their gratitude for the volunteers, and saying how the process of vaccinating has been made easier with the support of the volunteers.”
Vaccination efforts in the West Midlands
The Midlands as a whole are leading the way in the vaccine rollout, with nearly 500,000 vaccinated by January 10th, even before local vaccination centres could get up to full speed.
With the Millennium Point building in Birmingham opening as a new mass vaccination site, it is expected for the rate at which vulnerable residents in the West Midlands are vaccinated to increase further.
On a smaller scale, an ASDA in Birmingham has become the first supermarket in the country to become a vaccination site.
Likewise, Staffordshire Cathedral has been converted into another site, as have buildings owned by the Sandwell Leisure Trust.
The need for volunteers
Despite the support, volunteers are still needed, both in local areas Walsall and across the country, to help the NHS roll out vaccinations as quickly as possible.
The NHS are still asking for volunteers nationwide as they step up efforts. St. John’s Ambulance are also continuing to promote their volunteering schemes to assist with the ongoing rollout.
Furthermore, One Walsall, in their statement, reiterated that they are still seeking volunteers as the rate of vaccinations increases.
