Steve heeds call of duty

As a former nurse, Pastor Steve Derbyshire didn't need to think twice when he agreed to use his giant church in London's east end to support the capital’s Covid vaccination rollout.
The building – City Gates – is at the centre of Ilford's multi-cultural society on the outskirts of east London. It is a place where members of various faith groups are more than comfortable mixing with one another.

‘When I was approached by the NHS, I was more than happy to respond positively,’ said Steve, who was part of the team giving out jabs. ‘It was great to be involved and the whole thing was such a success we will be repeating it in a couple of weeks time.

‘There's been a huge amount of discussion about the rights and wrongs of the vaccine programme but we are there for everybody, whatever their views.

‘I saw it as the right thing to do and for those who didn't want to be involved it's their decision and it's to be respected. There were people who requested prayer before receiving their j...