council news COVID-19 Vaccinations Roll Out The first vaccination centre, run by family doctors and their teams has opened in Bedford as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history gains further momentum. All of the Primary Care Networks (PCN) in Bedford have started to deliver the vaccine to registered patients over 80, with the first administered on Wednesday 6 January.
Fully trained vaccinators will be administering the jab at Kings House Conference Centre in Ampthill Road to ensure there is plenty of room for social distancing when waiting, as well as a recovery area, where people will be monitored for 15 minutes after the vaccination. The NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine.
Be Scam Aware
Tackling Food Poverty in Bedford Borough
With the vaccination programme being rolled out across the country, criminals are coming up with new ways to scam people out of their money. We’ve received notification of scammers who are sending fake text messages offering residents the COVID-19 vaccine. This features a link that takes you to a fake NHS website that asks for personal details. Anyone who receives these texts should not click on the link and should instead forward the text to 7726. The message will then be investigated by your service provider, who can take the appropriate action to deal with the scam. The NHS won’t ask you for personal or financial information to have your vaccine. When it is your turn, you will be contacted by your GP to book an appointment. For more advice on identifying a scam, visit the Citizen’s Advice Bureau website. 4
The Higgins Bedford celebrates LGBT+ History Month The Higgins Bedford have an exciting programme of virtual events and content to celebrate LGBT+ History Month this month, including the annual ‘OUTing the Past’ Festival on Saturday 20th February. Please keep an eye on The Higgins Bedford website for upcoming details at www.thehigginsbedford. org.uk.
Before Christmas, Bedford Borough Council launched ‘No To Hunger in Bedford Borough’, a campaign to support access to food for those in need, so that every child in the borough will be well fed this winter. As part of the package of support, the Council provided £203,890 worth of free school meals food vouchers to 6,264 eligible children and young people over Christmas and the New Year, and 80 slow cookers have been provided for local families with more to be sent out in the coming weeks. The scheme will run at least until 31 March 2021.
