Adur may not have a Major Tom but we certainly have a Major Ted in Lancing who is every bit as upbeat, inspirational and a little bit older. I had the privilege of meeting one of our most senior local ‘Polar Bear’ veterans again when Major Ted Hunt came to Lancing Parish Hall last Wednesday for his jab.
I was signed up as a volunteer ‘meeter and greeter’ although I think I probably did more harm than good in aiding the flow of locals to be vaccinated as so many people wanted to chat and it became more like one of our Saturday morning street surgeries. Major Ted is no exception and he was keen to spread the message that anyone not having the vaccine is taking a risk akin to crossing the road without looking. He recorded a short video to that effect which I used at the top of my weekly video last week when I accompanied him back to the black cab in the car park which had brought him to the Parish Hall courtesy of the brilliant Poppy Black Cab charity.
The atmosphere at Lancing Parish Hall was amazing. The doctors and nurses have done a brilliant job setting it all up and vaccinating around 370 people every day, without any of the vaccine vials going to waste. A fleet of very efficient volunteers organised by Gill and Keith Gallis couldn’t be kinder and more welcoming and a particular shout out to the lady who brought in the homemade sausage rolls which were particularly popular and had al gone by the time I reported for duty. The most impressive part of it though is just how happy and grateful our local seniors are to have the jab and for many it is their first trip out for months.
Thank you to all the NHS staff and volunteers who are making this happen so brilliantly across the whole of Adur and Worthing. I will keep updating my website and Facebook page with weekly briefings on how the rollout is going so constituents can get an idea of when to expect to be called up, rather than have to hassle their surgeries.
On a non-vaccine issue Councillor Kevin Boram and I held a very constructive Zoom ‘roundtable’ with residents of Upper Shoreham Road and members of the Shoreham By-Cycle Group about the controversial Shoreham pop-up cycle lane which has now been dismantled. Whilst the majority of local residents who responded to our comprehensive survey before Christmas were negative about the cycle lane, there were many practical suggestions of how a different format and route could be more beneficial and less disruptive for people living on the road on a future scheme. We explored some of those suggestions with the help of a local transport expert and we will be reporting back on the practicalities of those options. Crucial to all of this however is that there is a thorough, genuine and transparent consultation with local people about any possible plans, which was so clearly a major omission with the temporary lanes.
