More volunteers are urgently required to support the COVID-19 vaccinations programme in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

With the Government announcing it is opening booster jabs to those aged 18 to 39 in the coming weeks, thousands of people will become eligible for a further dose of the vaccine.

Vaccination centres rely heavily on essential volunteers who provide marshalling both within buildings and on car parks to help make sure people feel safe and confident when attending for their appointments.

Jane Scattergood, senior responsible officer for the Lancashire and South Cumbria vaccination programme, said: “We are so grateful to the thousands of people who have already applied and trained for voluntary roles as part of the NHS COVID-19 vaccine team.

“Thanks to these volunteers, and the many existing NHS staff who have trained to deliver vaccines or perform other important roles, we have had enough people to roll out the vaccine programme at pace to our local population.

“However, we now need more people to get involved as volunteers for the next phase, so if you can spare a few hours a week, please sign up – it’s a great thing to do.”

More than 1,500 have so far volunteered and been a part of the historic COVID-19 vaccinations programme, donating well over 100,000 hours to the cause.

Volunteers are managed by the Lancashire Volunteer Partnership, which recruits and provides training to those who want to get involved.

Volunteers – both young and old and from all walks of life – have marshalled at more than 30 different community vaccination clinics and seven large-scale vaccination centres across Lancashire and South Cumbria. The marshals help patients find their way through the site, from directing them to a parking space, checking they have an appointment, managing the queues and helping them to exit sites safely after their vaccination.

If you want to volunteer to support the vaccinations programme, register now at www.healthierlsc.co.uk/volunteer