Latest news / 3 February, 2021

Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion to be used as large NHS Vaccination Centre

Life-saving vaccinations will take centre-stage at Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion this week as the venue reopens in support of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

The Cliffs Pavilion is among five new vaccination centres opening across Essex and joins G Live and Wycombe Swan to become the third HQ-operated theatre being used for vaccinations.

Ellen McPhillips, Venue Director at Southend Theatres said:

We are absolutely delighted to be supporting the NHS and playing our part in the roll-out of the vaccination programme.  The Cliffs Pavilion has been unable to operate as a theatre for many months.  However, it provides an ideal space for this new purpose.  My thanks to everyone involved in this effort and we look forward to working in partnership with the NHS and supporting them in whatever way we can.

Councillor Trevor Harp, Cabinet Member for Health at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, said: 

We are really pleased that the Cliffs Pavilion, an iconic Southend venue, is being used to help support our NHS in the largest vaccination drive in history. I’m sure our local community are going to be relieved to have an additional vaccination centre on our doorstep, but I would remind people to only attend if they have an appointment.

The centre will be vaccinating people aged 70 and over and people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, as well as health and care staff.

The NHS is urging people: please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, we will contact you. Patients are asked to come to the vaccination centre only when invited to do so and no more than five minutes before their appointment, to help ensure that priority groups are served first and to maintain safe social distancing.