Woman inspired by jab team is 1,000th Norfolk Covid volunteer
Lisa Tweed, from Winterton, is the 1,000th Covid volunteer to join Voluntary Norfolk - Credit: Voluntary Norfolk
Norfolk has recruited its 1,000th volunteer to help with with the Covid response and vaccination programme.
Lisa Tweed, from Winterton, was inspired to join the ranks after taking her mum for her vaccination at the Park Surgery in Great Yarmouth.
She became the 1,000th person to get involved with Voluntary Norfolk's Covid response team last week - and joins 999 other volunteers who over February 2021 completed more than 1,200 shifts at 18 different vaccination centres across the county.
She said: "When I was at the Park Surgery, the volunteer marshals were so brilliant.
"Mum was nervous about the vaccination but they reassured her and put her at ease.
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"It was such an uplifting experience to see everyone being vaccinated, and a real community effort. I wanted to support it and be a part of it."
Fittingly, Ms Tweed's first job was a replication of that which inspired her - with her first volunteer shift taking place at the Park Surgery's vaccination clinic on Thursday, April 1.
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Clare Evans, head of Voluntary Norfolk's volunteer services team, said: "We have been recruiting volunteers since the start of Covid on behalf of different organisations, but since August last year we have been actively recruiting, training and deploying our own team of Covid Response Volunteers.
"Many of our volunteers support clients who are shielding or isolating by collecting and delivering prescriptions or food while other volunteers have been helping at vaccination centre.
"This week we welcomed our 1,000th volunteer and although the circumstances which caused this level of volunteer activity is not to be celebrated, it is certainly a proud moment."
More than 50,000 people in Norfolk and Waveney have now had their second jab - Credit: Sonya Duncan
According to the organisation, requests to help people who were isolating increased by 277pc in January 2021 compared to December 2020, with volunteers providing one-to-one support to over 500 local people in January alone.
The news comes as more than 50,000 people in Norfolk and Waveney have had their second Covid vaccine.
Fresh figures published by NHS England show 21,726 follow-up injections were administered in the week to March 28, bringing the total number with both jabs to 53,788.
