The personal loss motivating army vet into helping protect Birmingham people from Covid

Personal loss is motivating an army veteran into helping keep people in Birmingham and Solihull safe from Covid. Vernal Wilson is part of the NHS Birmingham and Solihull NHS team working on mobile vaccination vans travelling to locations in hard to reach areas across Birmingham and Solihull in the coming days and weeks.

When the pandemic first struck in 2020, Mr Wilson came out of retirement to volunteer for the NHS and he has continued working for them since, helping to promote vaccine uptake for a variety of diseases. But the 67-year-old added the loss of family members to Covid 19 has made him even more determined to help out and give something back.

In 1974, he joined the army as a teenager and served for 15 years, being deployed in the Falklands and in Ireland during the troubles before leaving in 1989. He then worked as a project manager for a company for more than 30 years before he retired and the NHS came calling.

READ MORE: Birmingham warned 'Covid hasn't gone away' as they are urged to get protected - here's how

He said: "I take this team wherever they send us - supermarkets or surgeries. My job is administration and looking after the team on site. We come with a nurse or if teams are bigger we have a nurse in charge, a vaccinator.

"Four years ago, I had a phone call asking if I wanted to come and volunteer and I said 'yes'. I've always answered the call so after 15 years in the army and 34 years for another company this came along and I just had to do it.

"I've retired but I will keep doing this as long as they call me back to do it and that's what I've been doing each year. As for my main reason, I've got members of my family who died from Covid. So if I can give anything, I can do this and it is what I do now.

Brumwish 2024 - buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2024 is Birmingham Live's festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city - among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little.

There are THREE simple ways to help.

1. Buy a new gift from the Brumwish 2024 Amazon giftlist. In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
2. Donate money to the appeal fund hosted by Thrive Together Birmingham - this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes.
3. Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Road, B5 7QU on Friday 6th December, 10am - 3pm; Saturday 7th December, 10am - 1pm; or Monday 9th December, 10am - 1pm. Volunteers will be there to help you. Please don't wrap your gifts. You can also drop off by arrangement until Monday 16th December - contact Louise on 07469 979286.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children's centres and charities around the city.

Making up the Brumwish and Toys4Birmingham gang are Thrive Together Birmingham, Birmingham Playcare Network, Warwickshire Cricket Foundation (the charitable arm of Warwickshire County Cricket Club), Birmingham Forward Steps and BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail.

Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support.

"It's not just Covid, I do measles and anything we are called upon to help out in the community - walking the streets, going to schools. I enjoy doing it - I wouldn't do something if I didn't. It's not the financial gain, it's what I like to do."

He added: "It is really important to get the message out there. We do get the odd one or two who don't understand so our job is to put the message across. We don't argue with people as everybody has their own beliefs. As long as I can give them the correct information to help them understand.

"The satisfying bit is when someone comes back and says 'I thought about that and now I'll have my vaccination'. It's not gone away, different strains keep coming. It's not just in this country but other countries too."

Details of where the vaccine van will be can be found at https://www.birminghamsolihull.icb.nhs.uk/health-information/vaccinations/flu-and-covid-19/mobile-vaccination-unit