Pop-up vaccination services in mosques, mobile vaccination vans, football arenas, museums and cinemas are just some of the ways where people have been able to benefit from the life-saving coronavirus vaccination.

Naveed Saeed was thrilled at being vaccinated in a location familiar to him.

The West Midlands delivered the world’s first vaccine outside of a clinical trial as part of the largest vaccination programme in the NHS’s history, when Margaret Keenan, now 91 years old, received the jab at University Hospital Coventry in December 2020.

Since then, the vaccination programme has been rolled-out to GP surgeries, pharmacies, hospitals and large vaccination centres, as well as a number of more unusual partnerships that have helped to accelerate the vaccination programme in the Midlands.

The Birmingham and Solihull area has seen the introduction of mobile vaccination vans which are providing access to the vaccination within local communities, especially for those who may find it difficult to access it via more traditional routes. Naveed Saeed, 50, is a regular at The Masjid Eesa Ibn Maryam mosque in Hall Green and was thrilled at the opportunity to get protected in a location familiar to him. He said: “It’s been so easy – no hassle at all. There’ve been all sorts of rumours about the vaccine in our community so for it to be offered at a local mosque in a setting we trust and are familiar with is brilliant.”

The Birmingham and Solihull area has seen the introduction of mobile vaccination vans.

A pop-up vaccine clinic was held at the community centre at Central Jamia Mosque Rizvia in Burton to encourage more people to take up the vaccine.

As a well-known landmark close to good transport links, the Black Country Living Museum proved to be a strong choice to support the work of the NHS in delivering the vaccine to the local community.

Firefighters in Shropshire have played a key role with some teams having been redeployed to support the NHS while others have volunteered to help almost 4,000 residents get their jabs since February 12. The firefighters have joined forces with other agencies at vaccination centres set up at Telford International Centre, Ludlow Racecourse and Shrewsbury Indoor Bowls Centre.

Burton Albion’s Pirelli stadium has been used as a vaccination centre from the start.

Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium has been used as a vaccination centre from the start and the hard work of the medical professionals has been backed up by a group of volunteers organised by Burton Albion Community Trust staff. More than 80 volunteers signed up to make sure that the most vulnerable members of society got the jabs they needed. Villa Park has also played a pivotal role as one of the vaccination hubs in the Birmingham area which is helping to administer vaccines alongside local GPs and pharmacists.

Pharmacy2U has teamed up with Odeon Cinemas in Nuneaton to open a vital vaccine centre to further support and protect the most vulnerable people across the region.

To encourage more people to get their jab and make it more accessible, a team from Wolverhampton North Network Primary Care Network visited the Jamia Masjid Bilal and the UKIM Madinah Masjid mosques, the Gurdwara Nanaksar Thath and the Wednesfield Seventh Day Adventist Church to administer the first dose of the vaccine to eligible members of their congregations.

Alison Tonge, the Regional Director responsible for the rollout of the vaccination programme at NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Midlands, said:

“The West Midlands has some of the most diverse populations in the country, so it’s vital that we take the vaccine out into communities to ensure everyone has easy access to the vaccine. So, on behalf of the NHS in the West Midlands I would like to thank every one of our community partners and volunteers for their invaluable support in taking the vaccination service to places where people are most comfortable. These are places which are not only familiar to people but also have proved pivotal in providing social distancing, infection, prevention and control measures that you find in a clinical environment as well.

“We are very grateful that so many people have come forward to help us enable those who are eligible to get vaccinated. It’s been a fantastic demonstration of community spirit and a monumental effort resulting in more than 1.8 million people receiving the lifesaving vaccine.

“The vaccines are both safe and effective, so if anybody who is eligible but hasn’t been vaccinated yet, I’d urge them to go online or call 119 and get themselves booked in.”

People receiving the letters are invited to go online to the national booking service to arrange a jab at a time and location that is convenient for them. The booking service can be accessed at http://www.nhs.uk/COVID-vaccination. Those who cannot go online can call 119 free of charge.