A MENTION on the Eurovision Song Contest and a call with Prince William were just some of the triumphs of a Basingstoke vaccination centre which has now closed.

As previously reported, Basingstoke fire station vaccine site closed on Friday after administering Covid jabs to the community for seven months.

Basingstoke fire station posted a tweet showing some of the interesting facts and figures from during that time, saying: “What a 7+ mths (sic) it’s been. A fantastic effort from everyone involved has made to the vaccination roll out. Playing their part in the pandemic.”

 

A total of 154,110 vaccinations were given at the fire station during the 222 days it was operating.

A vaccine was administered every 55.8 seconds at the site, with an average of 693.5 given each day.

The fire station vaccination centre was mentioned on the Eurovision Song Contest after host Graham Norton gave volunteers a shout out during the live show, saying: “The Basingstoke fire station vaccination team will be watching – so excited for Eurovision!”

The site also said it received a phone call from Prince William.

The fire station has now been handed back to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, with Covid-19 vaccinations still available in Basingstoke at Jameson House, in Lutyens Close, Chineham.

Station Commander at Basingstoke, Rich Oram, said: “Transforming our fire station into a vaccination centre has been a huge team effort involving many people across our organisation. We are so proud of the way everyone has come together to make this a success, from the firefighters who have worked as vaccinators, to our amazing NHS colleagues and all the many volunteers.

“So many people have worked tirelessly to ensure the station has continued to function and provide its operational cover and we must also thank our local community for their support.”