After lending its sports hall to NHS staff to facilitate vaccinations in the district, North East Derbyshire District Council’s leisure centre will return to normal after an incredible 60,000 vaccinations were delivered.
The leisure centre in Clay Cross has been a vaccination site for the last 8 months, with leisure staff helping the team of NHS staff and volunteers to issue 60,000 vaccinations, protecting thousands of lives in the process.
The operation has now finished at the venue and the NHS teams delivering the vaccines gave glowing praise to the leisure staff who helped them throughout.
Kate Chilton, Manager of South Hardwick Primary Care Network, said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the council for having us on site & NEDDC for providing the facilities over the past 8 months.
“Thanks go to the whole team who have pro-actively supported the campaign and worked closely with the vaccination team to make our stay run like clockwork. We absolutely couldn’t have achieved the mammoth 60,000 vaccinations without this support.”
Councillor Jeremy Kenyon Cabinet Member for Leisure said, “This has been an incredible and humbling journey in partnership with the NHS team at Sharley Park. Helping deliver over 60,000 vaccinations has meant countless lives have been saved over the past 8 months. I can’t thank the teams enough for their incredible efforts during this time.
“We are delighted to have supported this operation and now it has come to an end at the centre, the sports hall is open again for members and non-members to use the facility.”
Dr Steve Lloyd, who is Senior Responsible Officer for the vaccination programme in Derby and Derbyshire, said the Sharley Park site had been a great success: "Sharley Park has been emblematic of the way in which so many people across Derby and Derbyshire have worked incredibly hard to deliver this vaccination programme."
"Hundreds of staff and volunteers have been at the heart of the site's success and I would like to thank Kate and the team for their efforts, especially as I know they have put in some very long days and faced many challenges. They should be proud of the impact they have had.
"I also want to extend my thanks to colleagues at the council and the team at the Leisure Centre. Everyone involved has played a role in saving lives and preventing serious illness."
A new vaccination site for the area will soon be operating in North Wingfield, and information on the location and opening times will be available here: https://joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/public-info-covid-19/covid-19-vaccine/covid-19-vaccination-walk-clinics-and-resources.
The leisure centre can now return to normality, with the sports hall open for use from 6 September 2021 for anyone wishing to book sports at the venue.
The authority has great rates for members including discounts for concessions and students wishing to play badminton in the hall.
To see what’s available at the leisure centre visit https://www.ne-derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/sharley-park-leisure-centre