Artvert #3 – Station South x Covid Connectors: We Got The Vaccine

This is what we like. Sharing good news stories on the A6 for all to see.

Whether it be showcasing good people doing good things in the local community or using the high profile space to shine a light and represent the beautiful faces of people that we should see more of on big billboard adverts. We’re especially proud to be part of this campaign and support the message of the work of these volunteers who have made a difference to vaccination levels in the local area.Here’s a bit of background.

Covid Connectors: The Local People Building Trust in the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme

Across Gorton, Levenshulme and Whalley Range, a group of local volunteers have been out in the community, answering questions about coronavirus (COVID-19) and helping people to book their vaccination appointments. On Wednesday 18^th August, the COVID-19 vaccine safety message went sky-high as a billboard of those volunteers was unveiled on the A6 in Levenshulme, proudly at Station South HQ.

There was quite a crowd made up of members of the community, local business owners, NHS workers as well as the volunteers, all admiring the a

The volunteers are well known and respected local people, even boasting local MP, Afzal Khan who also came to the unveiling and gave a fantastic speech. They have been trained to become ‘covid connectors’ to build trust in the COVID-19 vaccine and assist people with accessing accurate information.

They have tackled digital exclusion, which has been a barrier for some people to access the vaccine, through face-to-face conversations in the community helping people book appointments.

The Covid Connectors programme is funded by Manchester Local Care Organisation – the provider of community health and adult social care in Manchester – and run in partnership with Levenshulme Inspire CiC. The programme was started in March 2021, since then, they have spoken to hundreds of people and also helped the public book their vaccines. The team also has some tech-savvy members who have been posting across social media platforms, promoting accurate messages, tailored to their local community. The ‘Covid Connectors’ are local people who want to keep their local community safe from COVID-19 through vaccination.

They have helped to influence people in the community that may not trust messages from mainstream sources. As they are familiar faces, we had professional photographs taken of four of our volunteers, which have been used to create, posters, flyers, pop-up banners and, now, even the Artvert – the social advertising board at Station South.

Charlotte Frances, project coordinator for the programme said:
 
“ I love the diversity and community that this project has brought. It really has been a case of everyone working together to achieve something great that benefits every single community. We will continue to provide support, factual information and encouragement using volunteers that people can put their trust into”
 
Dawn Harris from the Manchester Primary Partner Care added:
 
‘The Covid Connectors have been absolutely essential in helping us to reach out to diverse communities. We are so grateful to them for all their hard work and continued support’