Charlton’s iconic The Valley football stadium was turned into a mass vaccination centre once again, with nearly 5,000 vaccinations given to residents wanting to get their jabs and boosters in the run up to the festive season. 

Those vaccinated included a 16-year-old boy who got his first vaccine, an older couple brought by their daughter to get their boosters, lots of pregnant women, and Paralympian cyclist, Matthew Robertson. Matthew Pennycook, MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, also stopped by on Saturday to get his booster. 

Leader of the borough, Cllr Danny Thorpe, who is a trained volunteer vaccinator and was vaccinating residents on Sunday 19 December, said: “It was amazing to see so many people come down to The Valley to get their vaccination this weekend, and such a slick operation too – most people were in and out in under five minutes! 

“The success of this weekend’s Vaccination at The Valley was – yet again – testament to fantastic collaboration between the council, our NHS and health partners and Charlton Athletic Community Trust. Moreover, it’s down to the thousands of locals showing up and playing their part in the fight against COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and boosted.” 

If residents missed out on getting their vaccine this weekend, there’s still plenty of ways to do so ahead of, or during, the Christmas period. They can find out about walk-in centres that are open locally by visiting nhsselvax.com or by booking an appointment via the NHS system.

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