Vaccination Centre at Home Park

The Mayflower Grandstand at Home Park will serve as a COVID-19 Vaccination Centre from next week, hosting its first booked appointments to people aged 80 and above from Tuesday, 26 January.

The opening of the Home Park site, alongside another venue at Westpoint Exeter, means thousands more vaccinations will be given every week in Devon, and provides local people have a wider choice of options when they receive their invitation for an appointment.

The Home Park site will be managed by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which runs the city’s Derriford Hospital.

The club has been supporting the NHS since the beginning of the pandemic, with the Mayflower Grandstand temporarily hosting health services such as phlebotomy and antenatal services to relieve pressure on Derriford.

The opening of the mass vaccination centre at Home Park caps a remarkable 12 months in the life of our newly-developed Mayflower Grandstand, and serves as a reminder of the club’s Vision and Values.

Argyle CEO Andrew Parkinson said: “We are delighted to have once again been able to offer up Home Park to assist with the fight to end the coronavirus pandemic.

“Of course, when we opened our brand-new Mayflower Grandstand a little under a year ago, we had no idea what was around the corner - but I am proud that we have been able to make a tangible contribution to the city’s efforts throughout a challenging year.

“What’s more, though, by allowing Home Park to be used for mass vaccinations, we are able to ensure that a greater number of our supporters can be vaccinated as quickly as possible, which, hopefully, paves the way for them to return to stands in greater numbers.

“As ever, on behalf of the club, I would like to place on record our sincerest gratitude to healthcare and front-line workers who continue to go above and beyond to protect our community.”

As part of the agreement, the club expects minimal disruption for supporters attending Home Park for match-day, as and when restrictions are lifted, although it does affect the club’s ability to provide hospitality within the Club Argyle lounge.

Non-match-day bookings will be accommodated elsewhere, whenever possible. All Club Argyle members affected by this development will be contacted by our commercial team next week.

The club has met with the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) over the use of the stadium for vaccination purposes, and the SAG has confirmed that it will have no impact on the club’s ability to welcome season-ticket holders back into the Mayflower Grandstand, should government guidance allow.

Darryn Allcorn, Lead Chief Nurse for Devon and Chief Nurse at Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “This is great news for people in Devon. These two new sites will deliver thousands of vaccinations each week and everyone is working tirelessly to get the sites ready. I’d like to thank them for everything they have done and continue to do.”

Sue Wilkins, Director of Mass Vaccination and Testing for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said: “We are hugely grateful to everyone who has enabled us to get to this point, including our hosts at Plymouth Argyle.

“Please wait until you receive a letter before attending the site; this will happen for everyone who has not had a vaccination at another venue in due course. When you receive a letter it will give you the choice of coming to the centre for your vaccination and explain how to book.”

Plymouth City Council is also supporting the project, identifying a site with plenty of parking and arranging signage, marshals, security support and traffic management.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care Kate Taylor said: “All those involved have worked flat out to get this site up and running and here at Plymouth City Council we will be enormously glad to see the site open and operating.”

Anyone who cannot or does not want to travel to one of the sites can be vaccinated by their local GP service.

Please note that you do not need to contact the NHS, as people will be invited when it is their turn, and vaccinations will not be issued to those who turn up without an appointment.