22
Churcher’s CollegeThis year we are celebrating a special birthday – Churcher’sCollege will be 300 years old in February 2022. The childrenand staff began the academic year with an inaugural eventfor the tercentenary year. Four coaches headed from Liphookto the senior school in Petersfield, where the entire schoolcommunity formed an enormous 300 on the rugby pitch.There were 1,234 pupils from Nursery, Junior, Senior andSixth Form, not forgetting 240 staff.The start of our birthday celebrations.Ffion Robinson, Headteacher, said: “Our children were veryexcited getting on the coaches to come to the senior schooland knew that this was an extraordinary event. History canbe a difficult concept to grasp for little ones, but thisunique opportunity to be part of such a historic moment, andunderstand the story behind our school is very special indeed.”A Celebratory Mosaic in the MakingThe junior school are alsoworking with Kim Porrelli,a mosaic artist, to producea beautiful outdoor mosaicto celebrate our 300 years.Every child, from thenursery up, and all theadults in the school, willhave the opportunity toadd tiles to the mosaic.The children are alsohelping with the design.Work is underway onproducing leaves for theKim Porrelli helping thechildren create their mosaic.tree featured in the centre of the mosaic, and the childrenhave been designing birds.Ffion Robinson, HeadteacherLIDBA Helps With Covid JabsSince December 2020 a large team of membersand their partners from LiDBA (Liphook& District Businessmen’s Association) havebeen, together with Petersfield Lions andPetersfield U3A, volunteering at the PetersfieldFestival Hall Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic.The aim of the Liphook & District Businessmen’s Association[LiDBA] is to be of service to the community, particularlythe young and disabled. The chance to be involved in thevaccination programme neatly falls in line with these aims.The Petersfield Lions were approached in early Dec 2020 bythe Swan Medical Group to assist with marshalling. LiDBAimmediately offered their help to boost the volunteer numbersand have worked closely with the Lions who very efficientlycoordinate the dates and times the volunteers attend.The Swan Medical Group appoints the vaccinators who aredrawn from surgeries from Liphook in the north to Clanfieldin the south.Up to 145 volunteers have been involved in helping the NHS,but there is now a core of 100 active volunteers from theLiDBA, Petersfield Lions and U3A groups plus someindependent volunteers.Our roles have been marshalling the members of the localcommunity receiving the Astra Zeneca and Pfizer Vaccines.At every session there are volunteers present to ensure that theflow of visitors progresses as smoothly as possible. Up to 1200vaccines are administered each day that the Clinic is open.Volunteers carry out a variety of tasks which includeswelcoming visitors at the entrance, sanitizing visitors’ handsand guiding them to check-in, stewarding to seats in the hall,informing the doctors and nurses when visitors are ready,sanitizing chairs in the first waiting area, helping some peoplefill in their personal detail form, ushering them to the secondwaiting area, taking their clip board and pen followingvaccination, timing those sitting for fifteen minutes (Pfizer)and replenishing the clip boards with new forms for thereception to start again! Without volunteers, this wouldamount to a large amount of NHS extra time, money andstress. Additionally there are volunteer tea ladies and gentlemenwho serve tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day to thevaccinators, NHS administration staff and volunteers.Each volunteer shift is usually two to three hours long withvaccinations starting at 8.30 am and finishing at 7.30 pm. Allvolunteers have to have a current negative lateral flow testbefore starting their shift.The vaccination figures at the Petersfield Clinic are impressive!As at mid-August 2021 there had been 39,940 first doses and35,651 second doses given at the Petersfield Festival HallClinic to all applicable age ranges. The sessions are scheduledto continue at the Petersfield Festival Hall Clinic until the endof December 2021 when it is anticipated that approximately110,000 first, second and booster doses will have been given.The whole project has produced camaraderie with the public,the local NHS staff & volunteers.Roger Miller23
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