April 28, 2022 5.06 pm This story is over 23 months old

‘End of an era’ as Lincolnshire Showground prepares to close as COVID jab centre

Pop-up sessions will continue to be made available elsewhere
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
By Local Democracy Reporter

In what is being described as the end of an era, the Lincolnshire Showground will be closing as a Mass Vaccination Centre against COVID-19 after final jabs are given out next Tuesday.

The showground site opened as one of Lincolnshire’s two Mass Vaccination Centres – along with Boston’s Princess Royal Sports Arena – in early 2021, and it has been a major player in the county’s rollout of the jab.

NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group has said the site’s pending closure is a reflection of how the county and the country as a whole has bounced back from the pandemic, thanks to the success of the vaccination rollout.

| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

After a year of constant operation, the Lincolnshire Showground will now revert back to its original role, hosting huge countywide events such as the Lincolnshire Show, which is penned in for June 22 and 23.

It is sure to be an emotional goodbye given the hard work that has gone into making the showground a successful site in the battle against coronavirus, from managers to volunteers.

Rebecca Neno, Director of Covid and Influenza Vaccination Programmes at NHS Lincolnshire CCG. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Rebecca Neno, Director of Covid and Influenza Vaccination Programmes, NHS Lincolnshire CCG, said: “What the team at the Showground have achieved is truly phenomenal and I want to thank all of them who have been involved over the last year or so for making such a difference to the lives of so many people.

“The closure of the site at the Showground is testament to the success of the COVID vaccination programme and the support shown for it by Lincolnshire people.

“It also reflects the return to some kind of life as normal, although the NHS in the county will maintain its capacity to offer covid vaccinations both locally in Lincoln and around the county, to ensure that everybody who is eligible for and wants a covid vaccination can get one.”

The focus will now shift towards more pop-up vaccination sessions that do not require bookings, with a series of walk-ins made available across the next couple of weeks.

You can also still use the National Booking System to get an appointment for a jab at the county’s fixed vaccination sites.

Lincolnshire’s vaccination teams will be running the following pop-up sessions:

  • Friday, April 29 at Bud Robinson Community Centre, Maple Street, Bracebridge, Lincoln LN5 8QS, between 10am and 4pm – spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over.
  • Saturday, April 30 at St Faith’s Church Hall, 6 Charles Street, Lincoln LN1 1QL, between 10am and 4pm – spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 12 and over.
  • Sunday, May 1 at Ruston Sports and Social Club, Newark Road, Lincoln LN6 8RN, between 10am and 4pm for 5-11 year-olds, and between 4.30pm and 7pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over.
  • Sunday, May 1 at Johnson Community Hospital, Spalding Road, Pinchbeck, Spalding PE11 3DT, between 10am and 4pm for 5-11 year-olds.
  • Monday, May 2 at Nettleham Village Hall, Brookfield Avenue, Nettleham LN2 2SS, between 10am and 4pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds only.
  • Tuesday, May 3 at Bishop Grosseteste University, Longdales Road, Lincoln LN1 3DY, between 10am and 3pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 3.30pm and 6.30pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.
  • Wednesday, May 4 at Birchwood Boiler House, 278 Woodfield Avenue, Birchwood, Lincoln LN6 0LT, between 10am and 4pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over.
  • Wednesday, May 4 at Billingborough Village Hall, Chapel Street, Billingborough NG34 0QH, between 10am and 4pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over.

  • Friday, May 6 at The Venue, Grantham Road, Navenby LN5 0JJ, between 10am and 4pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over.

  • Friday, May 6 at Long Sutton Church Hall, Market Place, Long Sutton PE12 9JE, between 10am and 4pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over.

  • Saturday, May 7 at St Faith’s Church Hall, West Parade, Lincoln LN1 1QL, between 10am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 1.30pm and 3.30pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.

  • Sunday, May 8 at Ruston Sports and Social Club, Newark Road, Lincoln LN6 8RN, for 5-11 year-olds between 10am and 4pm, and spring boosters for people aged 75 and over plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.