HRH Sophie, Countess of Wessex, visited a vaccination centre being hosted at Woking United Reformed Church (URC) and run by FastHeal Pharmacy on 20 January.
The Countess undertook the royal visit in her role as Grand President of St John Ambulance, and chatted and worked alongside staff and volunteers from the church and vaccination centre.
More than 60,000 vaccinations have been administered at Woking URC since the vaccination centre moved into the premises in September. Over 300 volunteers from the local area have been involved in helping to run the centre, which is managed by Tahir Hussain of FastHeal Pharmacy.
Revd Lucy Brierley, Minister of the church, said: “We were delighted to receive the Countess of Wessex. The vaccination centre, run by Tahir and his team, has made an indispensable contribution to ensuring Woking remains healthy against Covid over the last five months. Being visited by the Countess was a real boost.”
During her tour, the Countess spent time in the sanctuary of the church, helping to check in those arriving for jabs alongside volunteers from St John Ambulance and other centre staff, as well as sharing a cup of tea with staff and volunteers in the church’s reception area. The Countess also received a bunch of flowers to mark her birthday, which was being celebrated on the same day, with Revd Lucy Brierley leading those present in an impromptu chorus of “Happy birthday to you”.
Tahir Hussain, superintendent of FastHeal Pharmacy said: “We are delighted and amazed at being able to deliver such an important service for the community. At one stage we were the busiest vaccine site of the whole of Surrey. We wouldn’t have been able to run effectively without my team at FastHeal Pharmacy, the lovely stewards and volunteers, and the team at Woking United Reformed Church for providing their lovely venue and support. We have built an amazing relationship which shows a great community spirit that is rare to see in this day and age!”
Commenting on the impact of the centre being run in the church, Revd Lucy Brierley said: “We believe Christian faith isn’t just about believing in Jesus but also doing good in in his name. Hosting such a busy vaccination centre in the church building has certainly been a logistical challenge, but we’ve been delighted to help to shine a light in our local area. I also love the fact that we are doing this in partnership with people from across the faith spectrum, and volunteers from all walks of life.”
The FastHeal Pharmacy vaccination centre is open Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat 9am-5pm at Woking United Reformed Church, White Rose Lane, GU22 7HA.
Image: Daniel Lewis