Kent's Spitfire Ground to open as Covid-19 vaccination hub

The centre at St Lawrence, Canterbury, will open on January 18 under the administration of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

The Spitfire Ground is to become a Covid-19 vaccination hub, Kent have confirmed.

The centre at St Lawrence, Canterbury, will open on January 18 under the administration of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

Vaccinations will be given to staff and volunteers working locally in the health and social care sector through appointments arranged by the NHS.

Kent Cricket chief executive Simon Storey said: “At a time of national crisis, we are proud to be able to support the roll-out of the vaccination process at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury.

“Our team has been working hard for several weeks now and we have had tremendous support from our partners: NHS Trusts, Kent County Council, Canterbury City Council and Sodexo.

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“There is a huge amount of work ahead for everyone involved in the vaccination programme – and at the same time, we need to continue our preparations for the cricket season.

“Whilst this will be challenging, we have a number of large spaces available that allow vaccinations to be safely administered and we have robust Covid-19 protocols in place.

“Kent Cricket has a part to play in many aspects of life in the county and it is good that we can use our facilities to help the huge public health effort to protect as many in our community as we can, as quickly as possible.”

They are the latest county to open their ground up as a vaccine site, following the examples in recent days of Lord’s and Bristol.