An entertainment venue which has been turned into a mass vaccination centre is seeking local childrens’ help to brighten up the spirits of staff.
The P&J Live in Aberdeen will open as a vaccine centre on Monday, with thousands of people from across the city due to get their Covid-19 jabs in the coming weeks.
Now the team has come up with a way of cheering up the vaccinators and staff, inspired by Portlethen schoolgirl Lily Shaw.
The 11-year-old wrote a letter to NHS Grampian staff thanking them for their hard work during the pandemic, telling them they should be “very proud” of what they do and encouraging them to “keep up the good work” and “keep strong”.
Staff at the P&J Live has now launched its Keep Strong campaign, and is urging local children to send in their own pictures letters or poems that will be displayed in the venue for the team to see.
To get involved, e-mail the art work and creations – including name, age and school – to info@pandjlive.com or post it to Keep Strong Campaign, P&J Live, The Event Complex Aberdeen, East Burn Road, Stoneywood, Aberdeen, AB21 9FX.
Earlier this week, details of how the mass vaccination centre will operate emerged.
It is anticipated around 14,000 people could receive their first Covid jab by the end of next week.
NHS Grampian will initially operate the ‘super-centre’ at around a fifth of its overall capacity, allowing around 2,000 people to be vaccinated daily, to allow staff to adapt.
Once operating fully, about 50,000 people a week will be getting immunised.
Mass immunisation ‘super centre’ at P&J Live to treat more than 10,000 within first week
While P&J Live will serve the majority of Aberdeen’s adult population, as well as a small proportion of those in Aberdeenshire, immunisation centres have been set up across the north-east.
In Moray, a mass vaccination facility in the former Topps Tiles shop in Edgar Road, Elgin began operations on Monday.
Other centres are being set up in Forres, Dufftown, Buckie and Keith; while in Aberdeenshire they will be run in Macduff, Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Ellon, Inverurie, Banchory and Stonehaven.
Additional vaccination venues in Huntly and Alford will operate on a week about basis, and there will possibly be a mobile vaccination unit taken out to the most rural north-east communities.
Health bosses anticipate all those in priority groups will have been offered jabs by March 22.