North West awarded more than ₤1.7 million to get vulnerable communities vaccinated

AN army of vaccine volunteers in the North West will help people in hard to reach communities to get jabbed, backed by ₤1.7 million of Government funding. A total of ₤1,710,000 has been allocated to encourage vaccination uptake in:- Knowsley, Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, and Salford.  Champions across the North West will be tapping into their local networks and using their trusted voice to encourage people in their community to come forward and get vaccinated. The funding will enable Councils to identify barriers to accessing accurate information and to provide tailored support, such as phone calls for people without easy access to digital technology, helplines, and linking to GP surgeries.  In Salford, the City Council organised a number of initiatives including:-

► A vaccination bus at the start of the vaccination push that toured all parts of the City.

► 8,500 people were jabbed using the bus and other pop up vaccination sites to engage with at risk communities.

Working with the Community Voluntary Sector, the Council created a group of local community champions called Trusted Voices who helped share official information, key messages and up to date public health advice and guidance through their networks of work colleagues, friends and family to help stop the spread of Coronavirus within Salford.

Foyzul Gani, Health Improvement Manager at Salford City Council, said:- "Being able to take the vaccine to the community via the vaccination bus meant we were able to protect more local residents and reach those who were unable to get to a vaccine centre. We had the flexibility to set up in all sorts of locations and being on the bus we were very visible and a focal point in those areas. There were so many stories from people saying that the vaccine bus had enabled them to get the vaccine and get protected where they had perhaps struggled via other routes."

Lillian Mkocha, who is the current Secretary General with Tanzania Association of Greater Manchester (TAGMA) and volunteer at Women With Wings CIC, said:- "I had my 1st AstraZeneca vaccination on the 30 March 2021 at the pop up clinic that was set up at Women with Wings. While I was talking to one nurse the other nurse was administering the Vaccination. I didn't even feel a thing. The vaccination didn't even give me a sore arm, the only thing is that when I got home that night I had a very deep sleep and the following day I was absolutely fine. I had my 2nd jab on the 7 May 2021 and again no side effects whatsoever. I am so happy I have completed both jabs and I feel like I have a passport to some sort of freedom in the future."

Communities Minister Kemi Badenoch MP said:- "In England more than 80% of eligible adults over 18 have had a booster and for over 50s it is 90%. This is a great take-up so far, but we need to do more as we know that the unvaccinated are up to eight times more likely to be hospitalised than those who are jabbed. By funding Community Vaccine Champions; an army of volunteers who are at the heart of their communities; we can reach those yet to be vaccinated and encourage them to protect themselves and the NHS."

Councillor John Merry, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing at Salford City Council said:- "The support we received via the Community Vaccine Champions scheme has been vital in our fight against Covid19. This financial boost has enabled us to roll out a range of activity to improve vaccination take up across the City and tackle vaccine hesitancy among some of our communities."

Vaccines Minister Maggie Throup said:- "Thanks to the pace and scale of our Covid19 vaccination programme, we are in a much better position than this time last year. We are doing everything we can to reach those who haven't yet come forward for their jabs and we know some people are more likely to listen to those they trust, such as community and religious leaders; that's why we are giving extra funding to our brilliant Community Champions. The offer of a vaccine will always be available, it's not too late. Please come forward as soon as you can so we can learn to live with this virus."

In December 2021, according to NHS statistics, over 4.6 million people aged 18 or older remained unvaccinated in the 60 Local Authorities we have selected to take part in the Community Vaccine Champions programme. More than 14,000 volunteers joined the 1st Community Champions scheme in 2021; helping the vulnerable and isolated across the country throughout the Pandemic.
 

Southport Lifeboat move into new Lifeboat Station

THE Trustee Directors of the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust are pleased to announce that we have begun the process of relocating to our new Lifeboat Station. The new facility, which has been paid for entirely by public donations, is the new home for the independent charity which operates the Southport Lifeboat.

After 20 years of fundraising, planning and 3˝ years of construction, the new Lifeboat Station is a manifestation of the tremendous community effort to provide and secure a lifesaving service on the Sefton Coastline. The crew have now begun moving the equipment to new premises, which took over from the old lifeboat house as the charity's operational base on New Year's Day. The building provides essential facilities for our crew and a home for the equipment they use to save lives.

Southport Lifeboat founder, Kath Wilson, said:- "I can't believe how wonderful it looks. I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am to see it finally open; it brought a tear to my eye."

Kath founded the Southport Offshore Rescue Trustin 1987 after her son, Geoff Clements, lost his life off the Southport coast whilst fishing with his friends. In 2005, she started the Southport Lifeboat charity shop in Birkdale which has been raising funds to pay for the new Lifeboat Station ever since. "We've had some hard times over the past 30 or so years, but we've got there. This building is for the people of Southport. It's for everyone who has donated, bought something in the shop, played Lifeboat Lotto, volunteered for the charity or helped in any way, shape or form."

Alan Porter, Chairman of the board of Trustee Director sat the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust commented:- "We would like to thank the people of Southport, the surrounding areas, and further afield for their support, without whom this fabulous achievement would not be possible. There's still plenty of work to do in furnishing the inside, but we became operational from the building on New Year's Dayand responded to our 1st incident from there on the 2nd of January. Within the Station, our crew have access to a range of rooms designed specifically for training and maintenance. A separate workshop will allow our crew to look after their kit, whilst kitchen, shower and changing room facilities provide much needed amenities. The look out tower on the seaward side of the building offers incredible views of the coast and will act as an operations control room."

Trustee Director John Shawcroft, who was a founding member of the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust added:- "The old boathouse served us well for 3 decades. It is full of history and its walls could tell many stories, but sadly, it was outdated, cold, damp and we out grew it many years ago. We want this space to be a home for our crew. The Southport Lifeboat is run entirely by volunteers. None of the directors, crew, shop staff or fundraisers receive any payment for their work. In order to ensure that the building was constructed to adhere to design specification and criteria, the board of Trustees gave up many hours of work to attend meetings with contractors, suppliers and local Authorities."

Nicola Goldup, a Trustee Director informed us that:- "The lifeboat construction team worked closely with Natural England to ensure minimal impact to the physical environment throughout the building and construction phases. The Southport Lifeboat Station was designed to withstand the exposed environment in which it sits. The construction materials were chosen in order to provide maximum longevity to the building while reducing long term maintenance costs. No longer are vessels kept apart from their launch vehicles, or equipment stored in containers. Our new Station provides the space for:- training, maintenance and the storage of our assets in a safe and dry environment. The construction phase of the boat house became a familiar sight for the people of Southport. The project was set back multiple times due to logistical and planning disputes, in which our voluntary crew invested much time and effort in order to resolve. Despite the challenges, the Lifeboat Station is operationally fit for many years of service."

Keith Porter, Trustee Director and Senior Coxswain of Southport Lifeboat, said:- "Despite the multitude of challenges that our crew faced during the construction phase of the Lifeboat Station, our new facility exists only due the hard work and commitment of supporters both internal and external to the organisation. The continuous and tireless work carried out by Kath Wilson, founder of Southport Offshore Rescue Trust, means our crew can operate from a Station that is suited to 21st Century lifesaving. What was once an ambitious vision some 20 years ago has now become a reality and I would personally like to thank all those who ensured our vision became a success. The volunteers are now in the process of furnishing the inside of the building before it is ready to be opened to the public later in the year at a series of open days."

To find out more about the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust (Southport Lifeboat) and how you can help this independent offshore rescue service, please go to:- Southport-Lifeboat.Co.UK.