Pop-up vaccine clinic opens in Bristol's Eastville Park

Timira Farah, 97, had her first Pfizer jab after being encouraged by NHS health links workers in the Somali community

A walk-in coronavirus vaccination clinic for people aged 18 or over has opened in a city centre park.

The clinic at Eastville Park, Bristol, is for those who live in the central and east-central parts of the city who have not had a first jab yet.

NHS vaccination lead, Clare Armour, said: "We haven't done one in a park before so it's very new to us and it's very, very exciting."

The clinic has 800 Pfizer doses and will remain open until 17:00 BST.

The marquee has been set up in the south part of Eastville Park

She added that the clinic was particularly for the over 30s who had been unable to get to a vaccination centre due to work or family commitments, or transport or accessibility difficulties.

Anyone aged 18 or over was also welcome, she said.

The clinic is for the first dose only.

'Some are scared'

The first person to be jabbed was 97-year old Timira Farah, who was brought to the park by her 40-year-old daughter Muna Abubakar.

Ms Farah said she felt reluctant initially, but after seeing so many people she knew being vaccinated it encouraged her and made her feel safer taking it.

"Today, finally she accepted the injection," Ms Abubakar said.

Amran Hussein has been encouraging vaccine take up in the Somali community

"Some are scared and some don't feel ready - everyone who's waiting here, now feel ready."

Somali NHS health links worker, Amran Hussein, said: "I rang Muna two weeks ago to speak to her mum. I'm so happy to see her here today."

Since the vaccine rollout, she and other colleagues had been connecting with the community to encourage take-up and dispel unfounded rumours.

"They thought this was stopping fertility, or maybe dying in two years' time if you had it - those rumours," she said.

"Now they see without it, you die anyway, so they have it."