North Powys Mass Vaccination Centre moving to Park Street in Newtown

Next month will see the end of a year-long vaccination partnership between Freedom Leisure and Powys Teaching Health Board.

The North Powys Mass Vaccination Centre has been located at Newtown’s Maldwyn Leisure Centre since January 2021 and in that time has seen over 125000 vaccine doses delivered, providing vital protection for people in the north of the county.  With most adults in the county now having received their booster, the vaccination centre can now move to smaller premises back in Park Street where the North Powys vaccination effort first began in December 2020.

Adrian Osborne, Programme Director for COVID-19 Vaccination and Test Trace Protect for Powys Teaching Health Board said:

“The progress on COVID-19 Vaccination in Powys would simply not have been possible without the support of Freedom Leisure. Their team here at Maldwyn Leisure Centre have provided amazing support for the programme, and I know that our teams will miss each other given the friendships they have forged.

“Our vaccination centre at Maldwyn Leisure Centre has delivered over 125,000 COVID vaccine doses, offering vital protection and saving lives. Only venues the size of Maldwyn Leisure Centre can deliver vaccination at the unprecedented scale we have needed over the last 13 months. Now, the majority of adults in Powys have received their boosters. This means we are able to step down to a smaller building for the next phase of the programme, and we will be returning to our previous venue in Park Street Newtown by the middle of February. Please do check your invitation letter for the location of your COVID-19 vaccination, as the Newtown centre will be moving next month.

“Vaccination continues to offer vital protection, reducing the risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19. Powys has the highest rates of vaccination of all health boards in Wales. This is only possible because of the amazing people of Powys taking up the offer, and the team of staff and volunteers delivering the programme.”

First and second dose vaccination continues to be available on a drop-in basis for anyone aged 12+, and you can drop in for a booster if you are 18+. More information is available from the Powys Teaching Health Board website at https://pthb.nhs.wales/covid-vaccine and via the health board’s social media channels.

Mr Osborne added: “I would like to offer my personal thanks to the whole team at Maldwyn Leisure Centre for their work over the last year. They have definitely gone above and beyond, including joining us as volunteer Wayfinding Marshals, and they will forever be honorary members of our Powys Teaching Health Board family.”