Manchester United hosts vaccination training

Saturday 23 January 2021 13:00

Manchester United has opened Old Trafford for use by St John Ambulance as a training centre for hundreds of volunteers as part of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Four hospitality suites across the stadium will be used as a large-scale training facility over the next five weekends.

Across the UK, St John Ambulance will be training around 30,000 volunteers to administer COVID-19 vaccines in support of the nationwide effort against the pandemic. Once trained, they will step into the frontline as part of the NHS’s biggest ever vaccination drive. Those trained at Old Trafford will deliver vaccines across Greater Manchester.

United staff will also have the opportunity to volunteer for the programme to be trained in the coming weeks.
Collette Roche, Chief Operating Officer, Manchester United, said: “Old Trafford is an iconic location which will inspire the volunteers who are involved in this historic programme.

“The suites, parking, access and our dedicated events team can be valuable assets to this national effort to tackle COVID-19. We are proud to open our doors to St John Ambulance and welcome everyone involved in what is an inspirational project.

“We recognise that our local community will be feeling the effects of the pandemic for some time and we remain committed to using our resources to support the response to this public health emergency and its social impacts.”
Last year, when the pandemic struck, one of the first steps the club took was to recognise the sacrifices being made and the strain on the NHS itself. United responded by producing 60,000 meals for NHS staff in local hospitals. 

This initiative involved over 80 club and Foundation colleagues preparing £150,000 worth of food which was delivered to four NHS Manchester sites. Car parks at Old Trafford were also used for drive-through testing while hospitality facilities were utilised for a blood donation drive, helping to address a reduction in donations during the first wave of the pandemic.
 

Recommended: