Blackburn Cathedral is one of a number of larger sites opening across Lancashire and South Cumbria aiming to deliver thousands of vaccinations every week. Here is what you should know.

Letters will initially go to people aged 80 and over who live in reasonable travelling distance of the active locations, and who haven’t already been vaccinated through other NHS vaccination services. 

It will not be possible to use the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Booking Service if you have not received an invitation letter. It will also not be possible to get a vaccine at a vaccination centre or community pharmacy without an appointment. 

Those eligible must live within 45 minutes’ drive from the new site and must not have already been vaccinated by their local GP led vaccination services or hospital hub.

If you have received a jab since the letter was sent out or would prefer to wait to be invited to attend a hospital or GP service, you can simply ignore it. Care home residents who are unable to travel to vaccine centres, hospitals or GP-led sites are already receiving the vaccine at home.

Vaccination centres will be staffed by clinicians, non-registered vaccinators, administrative staff and a range of volunteers who will help make a visit run as smoothly and safely as possible.  

People who book into the vaccination centre will be greeted by volunteers, who will marshal car parks and register them when they arrive. Bookings are staggered to allow social distancing. People will receive a health status check and a pre-vaccination assessment before they have their jab and the whole service will be led and overseen by trained nurses. 

People are asked not don’t delay having the vaccine, but if you can’t travel to a vaccination centre or you would rather wait for an appointment closer to home, you can choose to do that, and your local GP-led service will be in touch soon to offer an alternative.

People driving into Blackburn to get their coronavirus vaccination at Blackburn Cathedral will be able to park for free in Council-owned car parks at Weir Street and Penny Street, Blackburn with Darwen Council has announced. Marshalls in operation on the sites will check if anyone parking there is going for a vaccination and ensure no tickets are handed out.

In Lancashire and South Cumbria, additional vaccination centres will go live over the coming weeks in Central Lancashire, Fylde Coast, Morecambe Bay and Pennine Lancashire. As soon as these are ready and available they will appear on the national NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Booking Service.

For more information about the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Lancashire and South Cumbria, including how to get involved click here