Pendle young people help to promote vaccine

All children aged 12 to 15 are now being offered a first dose of the vaccine.

The aim is to lower the risk of Covid-19 spreading in schools and reduce the need for children to have time off school.

The call-up brings huge relief to the family who have spent much of the past 18 months shielding to protect 12-year-old Hannah who last year was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

Parents Sara and David appealed for adults to take up their offer of vaccination earlier this year and are thrilled their daughters have been invited to do the same.

Sara said: “Hannah currently has no immune system, which makes her extremely vulnerable to the virus, so, as a family, we have had to be extra vigilant in shielding her from any germs.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have been taking Hannah to Alder Hey Hospital for regular transfusions and it has been heart-breaking to see so many young people suffering.

“Earlier this year, we didn’t know if vaccinations were going to be made available to children under 16, so we were reliant on adults to do their bit to protect Hannah and all other vulnerable young people by having their vaccinations.

“Now, she and her elder sister Sophie can protect themselves by having the vaccination and it really does give us much more peace of mind and enables them to start living a more normal life.

“We know that there are still risks, but the more people take up the offer of vaccination, the better protected we will all be.”

Colne teenager, Luke Stansfield (14) is also happy to have his vaccination now it has been offered to him through his school, Fisher More.

Luke said: “It’s important that we all do our bit to protect each other, and I will be having my vaccination as soon as I can.

“I’m a keen footballer and have recently gained the accreditations to be a referee and it has been so good to see everyone back on the pitch.

“We don’t want to go back to what we all experienced last year, we want to move forwards and I think vaccination is the way.”

Vaccines will mostly be delivered at schools by healthcare staff. All parents, or those with parental responsibility, will be asked for their consent.

Coun. Nadeem Ahmed, leader of Pendle Council, said: “This has been a very difficult time for many families.

"It’s great that the vaccination is now available for young people. This will protect them as well as their friends and families and reduce the impact of Covid-19 on their education."