One year after the first Covid vaccination was given in Swindon hundreds of staff and volunteers have helped administer thousands of vaccines.

Several Swindon authorities including the council and GWH hospital recently praised them for their year-long efforts, hailing them as heroes.

Now, three of the volunteers working at the Steam vaccination centre have shared their personal stories.

Alison Barden-Jones, who has worked as both a practice nurse at Ridge Green Medical Practice and a clinician at Steam over the last year, spoke of the honour and privilege of being able to play a part the vital efforts to protect and reassure the community.

“As a nurse, I’ve always seen it as an honour and a privilege to be able to support people from my local community, and I feel that even more so now.

“Many patients arrive for their vaccination appointment feeling a bit apprehensive, which is totally understandable, and I make sure I do all I can to reassure them and to put them at ease.

“Whether it’s just listening to their concerns and explaining the facts, or having a laugh and a joke to help ease their nerves, I see my role as more than just a vaccinator.

“For the few minutes we are with our patients, we need to be their friend, as well as someone they can turn to for support, and I still get a lump in my throat when I see a person who was particularly nervous leave feeling relieved and reassured, and with a smile on their face. 

Dr Sian Edwards was a full time GP at Elm Tree Surgery when she began helping at Steam and even though she has since retired, she continues to stay on and help with vaccinations.

“The sense of teamwork, camaraderie and friendship that I get from being here three days a week is incomparable, and it means so much to me to be able to continue helping people through these tough times.

“On our busiest days, up to 2,500 people can come through our doors, which means we’re always working flat out, with my vaccinator colleagues and I usually getting through around 160 vaccinations during each clinic.

“My personal record for the number of vaccinations given in a single day is 214 and, while I was definitely exhausted at the end of the shift, it felt fantastic to know that I had played a part in helping to protect so many people, all of whom have had their lives completely turned upside down by coronavirus."

Harry Mundy lost a relative to Covid so his work as an administrator at Steam had a 'poignant' personal element.

“Sadly, I lost my grandfather to Covid-19, so working at Swindon’s largest vaccination centre is especially poignant to me, as I have a personal want and desire to do whatever I can to help stop this horrible virus claiming any more lives.

“As a member of Steam’s administration team, no two days are ever the same. “My responsibilities can range from managing the queues and greeting patients as they arrive, to covering the check-in desk and running – sometimes literally – the vaccines from the freezers to the vaccinators.

“It’s completely full-on, and a world away from my regular job at Ashington House Surgery but being part of this team is something that I am incredibly proud of.

“I can vividly remember my very first day, which was back in January 2020, and being completely in awe of the sheer scale of what was being done here, as well as seeing first hand just how much getting vaccinated means to each and every single person coming through the doors.

“One moment that sticks out in my memory was the day we heard the sad news that Captain Sir Tom Moore had passed away, and to see the whole centre pause for a moment to reflect on his achievements was incredibly moving. “That spirit which was inside Sir Tom is inside every person involved in the vaccination programme, and I’m humbled to be able to play a small part.”

In Swindon figures up to December 4 from the UK coronavirus daily dashboard showed that 173,967 people had received a first dose, and 159,867 people a second.

That's a total of 333,834 working out at roughly 915 jabs every day for a year.