Page 42 - Eclipse - Autumn 2021

RVC staff volunteer during the pandemic

he COVID-19 pandemic has should contribute to the fight against “You may remember Vaccine Stewards
affected us all in one way or COVID-19 by transferring my skills like me from when you’ve been to the
another and we have all had to and becoming a vaccinator. centre yourself: volunteers run all the
Tadapt over the past 18 months, “After completing the NHS’s training logistics of getting patients safely and
both personally and professionally. The programme, I began vaccinating at efficiently through the centre, from
veterinary and science professions have the start of March and have been taking registration details to giving you
played a huge and important role over doing a session each weekend since your sticker (the best bit). I’d love to
this time. In addition to this, we know then. Everyone I’ve met through say it was altruistic, but honestly shifts
many of our staff, students and alumni volunteering has been amazing and the quickly became a highlight of my week
have been out in their communities sense of everyone working together to – seeing people’s anxiety turn to joy and
going above and beyond to support with beat this disease is an experience that’s relief, looking after babies and dogs,
the vaccine rollout and in many other definitely had the most positive and and all the donations of thank-you food
ways benefitting their communities with profound impact on my life.” treats in the break room!
selfless acts of kindness. “Lots of the volunteers, like me, manage
Kate Oliver,
Here are just a few examples of where Outreach Development Manager events in their day jobs, so putting on
our staff have volunteered their time. the hi-vis and working with hundreds
“Since January, I’ve been spending my of the public felt like something normal
Perdi Welsh, Lecturer in Veterinary weekend mornings volunteering at one again at last.
Nursing and Course Director for of the most positive places on earth –
Graduate Diploma in Professional the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres in “Volunteering has changed a lot in
and Clinical Veterinary Nursing my local area of Hackney. the last few months: we’ve gone from
“At the start of the COVID-19 “Deep in the winter lockdown, I saw a helping vulnerable 90+ year olds who
vaccination programme, nurses, callout on Twitter for #hackneyvaxpack hadn’t left the house in a year, to more
GPs and many other healthcare volunteers, and thought it could both be recently welcoming young people
professionals were being taken away a way to feel like I was doing something who are in and out in minutes on
from their everyday work in order to useful in a time we felt so helpless their lunchbreak.
get as many people vaccinated as – and to fill the many empty days we “We’re also becoming very short
quickly as possible. As a veterinary were faced with. staffed as volunteers have gone back
nurse, with skills in administering to their jobs and routines. If you’ve
injections to animals, I felt I could and got a few hours a month to spare, it’s

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