The Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to the Wembley Vaccination Centre on Tuesday, thanking volunteers with the Royal Voluntary Service and the NHS Volunteer Responder Stewards who are helping with the UK vaccine rollout.
Camilla met with Pippa Nightingale, the Chief Nurse of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Sam Ward, the Deputy CEO of the Royal Voluntary Service upon her arrival at the vaccine centre.
Ward told reporters after Camilla’s visit, “Each and every volunteer who stepped forward to support the NHS and their community is a hero in my eyes.
“We truly appreciate the continued efforts of our volunteers during the pandemic and as the vaccination programme moves forward.”
Camilla praised the work of volunteers, telling those on the visit, “Thank goodness for volunteers” and that she “is thankful so many volunteers had decided to help in a time of need.”
The NHS Volunteer Responder Stewards is a program implemented by the NHS England as a partnership between the Royal Voluntary Service and GoodSAM to provide support to those in need and to help the NHS amidst a pandemic.
According to Clarence House, “Steward Volunteers play a vital role in the vaccination process by ensuring the safe and efficient flow of patients on-site. They also identify those who may need extra support and share words of encouragement as people prepare to receive their jabs. So far, 437,000 on-duty NHS Volunteer Responders have completed more than 1.5 million tasks for people in need across all roles.”
Since the vaccine has become widely available in the UK, the Steward Volunteers have pivoted to helping out at vaccine centres across the country. The Wembley Vaccine Centre is the second largest in London, and, since mid-January, has vaccinated over 16,000 people.
During her visit, Camilla chatted with volunteers who’ve been helping vaccinate the population in the area, and revealed that after she’d had her shot, “I leapt for joy. I didn’t feel anything. I’m eternally grateful for everything.”
Camilla then stopped to chat with people waiting in line for their vaccines and revealed, “It feels like the first step of freedom, I certainly felt like that.”
Clarence House announced earlier this month that Camilla and Prince Charles had received their first shots for the coronavirus vaccine. They follow in the footsteps of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh as the only members of the Royal Family to publicly reveal their vaccine status.
“I hope you’re able to be reunited with your grandchildren,” Camilla added. “I think we’re all looking forward to that!”
Camilla has been President of the Royal Voluntary Service since 2012.
