Portsmouth pharmacy Laly's thanks Covid vaccine volunteers from Gosport coast watch station with 'significant' donation

Staff from Laly’s Pharmacy in Guildhall Walk made the donation to thank the six members of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) for their help during the pandemic.

The volunteers swapped time spent watching the coast in order to help those queuing up to receive a Covid-19 vaccination last year – and now they have been given a £1,000 as a thank you to take back to their Gosport station.

NCI volunteer Chris Aps, 75, said: ‘I came here for my jab, and I’m a retired doctor so I left my details here in case they needed a vaccinator, which they did.

‘So two weeks later I was vaccinating, then I asked my colleagues in NCI Gosport if they would like to volunteer as marshals, and half a dozen of them did.’

Last year saw hundreds of people at a time queue up outside the city centre pharmacy, requiring an efficient marshal system to make the process as quick and as efficient as possible.

Fellow volunteer marshal Gail Rendle said: ‘Our roles were incredibly important to ensure a smooth, efficient flow of people going to get vaccinated.

‘Some people were worried when they were in the queue.

‘I think people were concerned but we were able to allay their fears as lay people, and then pass them on to someone like Chris with a medical background.’

More than 113,488 people across Portsmouth have been given their third or booster Covid-19 vaccination dose.

Pushpinder Laly, whose family have run the chain of Laly’s pharmacies in the city for more than 40 years, said the team’s help had been invaluable.

She said: ‘I would like to say thank you – and give them a little donation for their very important job.

‘We need to remember that they are there all the time looking after us.’

The National Coastwatch Institution is a registered charity made up of thousands of volunteers manning stations along the UK’s coasts.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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