Covid-19 vaccine volunteers boosted by appreciation certificate as Swanwick Lions give back to those giving up time to support rollout

Around 70 vaccine volunteers have been helping the community to gain protection against coronavirus at Brook Lane Surgery in Park Gate, giving up their time to help the programme run smoothly.

Wanting to give something back, members of Swanwick Lions Club delivered a certificate of appreciation to each of these kind-hearted unpaid workers to brighten their day.

Practice manager Carolyn Hill and the volunteers were all delighted to receive this token of thanks for all the hours they are putting in.

Lion Kate Scott, who is a vaccine volunteer herself, said: ‘We have been rolling the certificates out since last year, then obviously the vaccinations started up and people on social media were saying how smoothly it was running.

‘I just thought it would be a nice touch to give them these certificates as a personal thank you. They were really pleased to have them.’

The group has also been supporting food banks like Fareham and Gosport Basics Bank and the Waypoint Hub throughout the pandemic and arranging litter picks to help keep local spaces clean and litter-free.

Kate, who has been a Lion for three years, said: ‘We haven’t been able to do a lot of fundraising ourselves but we’re hoping as things ease up we can get out in the public domain again.

‘It makes you feel good when you feel you can help other people. It gives you purpose as well and you meet so many people.’

For more information about volunteering, visit swanwicklionsclub.org.uk or find the group on Facebook and Instagram.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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