Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East, has thanked the Ashmore Park community in her constituency after a social centre on the estate was offered as a Covid-19 vaccination site.
Corpus Christi Social Centre, on Ashmore Avenue, is run by the neighbouring Corpus Christi catholic church and has been unused since the start of the pandemic last year.
Father Stephen Goodman, the parish priest at Corpus Christi, contacted Jane to offer the social centre as a potential vaccination site, given the incredibly high infection rates in the area. The building contains a large hall as well as a bar.
Jane has now passed on this offer to the Government’s Vaccine Deployment Team, who will assess whether the social centre can be used for this purpose. A testing site for asymptomatic people is opening at The Hub in Ashmore Park in the coming days.
Jane said: “I would like to thank Corpus Christi Church and the Ashmore Park community for offering the social centre as a Covid-19 vaccination site. I have passed this offer on to the Government’s Vaccine Deployment Team, who will look into this further.
“Ashmore Park residents have been at the forefront of community action and volunteering, with many people stepping up and doing everything they can for the community at this difficult time.
“With infection rates in the area still very high, I am pleased to see a testing site opening on the estate very soon. It is important that everyone continues to follow the rules and stays at home as much as possible while we vaccinate our elderly and vulnerable residents at pace.”
Father Stephen Goodman, parish priest at Corpus Christi Church, said: “The pandemic has hit Ashmore Park particularly hard, and as the church’s social centre has been sitting empty for many months, it made sense to us to offer the building as a vaccination site.
“I thank Jane for her continued support for the church and the Ashmore Park community as the local MP, and I hope our offer will be taken up by the NHS as they continue to roll out the vaccine.”
ENDS
