Friday 11 December 2020
Following the designation of the Sir John Loveridge Hall as the best-suited location to house the COVID-19 Community Vaccination Centre, the Guernsey Sports Commission and the States of Guernsey have been working hard with a number of sport organisations to secure alternative venues.
The majority of sporting groups displaced by the need to prioritise use of the hall for the vaccination programme have been successfully relocated, with work continuing on the few bookings and events that remain unresolved.
Graham Chester, Operations Director for the Guernsey Sports Commission, said:
'A huge amount of work has taken place in a short amount of time and I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to those who look after our school sports facilities and also those organisations who own and manage private sports and community facilities for their willingness to go the extra mile to help out. The team at Beau Sejour have also gone above and beyond in contacting those whose bookings have been affected and pointing them in the right direction with regards to alternatives.
'Although it has been impossible to replace like for like, we are thankful that those sports affected have been pragmatic about the situation and prepared to adapt their operations to suit the new venues and timings available. We of course fully understand the need to prioritise the vaccine rollout and have been pleased with the amount of joint working between the Commission, the States and sporting groups.'
Paul Whitfield, States of Guernsey Chief Executive, said:
'Following the designation of the Sir John Loveridge Hall as the best-suited location to house the Community Vaccination Centre, staff have been working hard alongside the Sports Commission to try and secure alternative arrangements for sports that will be displaced while the vaccination programme understandably takes priority. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank staff within Education, Sport & Culture, the Sports Commission and those connected with sports themselves, the majority of whom are volunteers, for finding pragmatic solutions.'
A range of other venues are being utilised during the expected six months where the Community Vaccination Centre will be in operation. This includes school sport facilities such as those at St Sampson's High School and Les Beaucamps, parish premises such as the St Martin's Parish Hall which will host the Guernsey Mobility Let's Go weekly accessible sports session, and venues such as Elizabeth College and the Guernsey Table Tennis Centre which will support schools that had been using Beau Sejour for PE lessons.
