A large-scale Covid-19 vaccination centre is opening at a former Wickes site in Mansfield.

A letter from the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Booking Service will allow the public to book an appointment at the new site, either online or by phone. Booking through this service will give the public the option of having the vaccine at a range of venues locally, also including King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton, and Ashfield Health Village, Kirkby.

This coming week the site will be vaccinating those over 80 before also helping those over 75, initially.

NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG said on Friday evening it would be prioritising vaccines to over 80s and so was temporarily suspending making appointments on its local booking system for over 75s.

Dr Hilary Lovelock, local GP and clinical lead for the vaccination programme, said: “The opening of this vaccination centre is fantastic news and a positive step forward for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire residents.

“This site will accelerate the programme and will mean we can continue to protect the most vulnerable in our community. The opening of this site is a testament to our NHS staff and partners who are pulling out all the stops to vaccinate the most vulnerable at sites across the county.

“I would urge the public to look out for their invitation letter and when they receive it to book an appointment in a timely way at a location most convenient to them. We are grateful to all our residents who have responded so quickly to their invitation letters already and we thank them for their patience as we roll out the programme to the next cohorts. Please don’t try to book if you haven’t received a letter.”

A further local vaccination service is opening at the Forest Recreation site in Nottingham. This will take the total number of vaccination sites to 11 across the county.