The Covid-19 vaccination hub at St John’s shopping centre in the middle of the city is coming to an end.

Last week volunteer, Marian Orford, marked her 800th shift as a Marshall, and played a huge role in Lancashire’s mass vaccination roll-out.

With the hub closing on Friday 23 December, Marian reflected on her experiences of working in Preston.

She said: “When we started in the February, I was an outside marshal and I stayed outside for probably at least the first year.

Read more: Preston residents have one week left to request a COVID-19 vaccine at home

“We were in all sorts of weather, but do you know what, the people of Preston are amazing. We keep getting bags of sweets, people coming up to us and encouraging us. People offering umbrellas, all sorts of things.

“And it was so wonderful to meet so many lovely people of Preston. Prestonians you can have a conversation with at the drop of a hat.

“And they’re just so much fun. In fact, one couple were going to the bus station with the suitcases, and they diverted back to me just to let me know that they wouldn’t be around for the next two weeks because they were going on holiday.

“And that’s the kind of outside friendships we wouldn’t get in the same place every week.

Read more: Day-by-day weather forecast as Preston prepares for ‘severe cold’

Marian has emphasised the importance of getting the Covid-19 vaccine to prevent prolonged illness.

Marian said: “I’m passionate about it. And I encourage all my friends and family to go ahead and get the jab, and answer questions that maybe they’ve misunderstood, to clarify things.

“Hopefully many of them have come here following that. So, I just encourage everyone to take part – we’re so lucky to have this very good vaccine that will prevent so much illness.

“I mean, a few people have made out it feels like a bad cold or that’s all it is.

“But a lot of people are going to have prolonged illness, and then it will go on and be long COVID, which brings so many other things to the foreground of your general health, and it’s all very negative. So yes, we can’t encourage people enough.”

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines