FAMILY members with more than 90 years of nursing experience combined reunited the first time in years to administer coronavirus vaccines.

Gillian Knight, 55, her sister Alison Johnson, 58, and their cousin Julie Morehen, 60, were brought together to give jabs to the over-80s .

Julie, who lives in Colchester, said she and Alison decided to come out of retirement to help with the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Essex. 

Gillian, who works as a practice nurse, was recently tasked with finding nurses qualified to administer Covid jabs to help at a vaccination hub at Audley Mills Surgery in Rayleigh.

Although the nurses had not met up as a group for about four years, they have been keeping in touch via a Whatsapp group.

Julie said Gillian was “racking her brains” trying to find more nurses who could help at the vaccination hub, and contacted her and Alison to administer vaccines.

“We have all been nurses since we were about 18-years-old, but we have never worked together before,” Julie said.

The trio met in the car park of the centre, all wearing their different nursing uniforms.

Julie said: “The three of us have not met as a group socially for about four years.

“We couldn’t greet each other with a hug, which was weird but once the pandemic is over we want to have a reunion.”

The three of them got their Covid jabs before they started vaccinating the over-80s, but they all decided not to administer them to one another.

“We got other nurses to give us our vaccines,” Julie said.

“Gillian and Alison are family, so it would be too strange to vaccinate them.”

Gillian, who lives in South Woodham Ferrers, said it was great to see Julie and Alison again.

“It was quite an historic moment for us to all administer vaccines together and I feel it’s a special thing to be part of which we can tell future generations,” she said.

Gillian said she was proud to be part of the vaccination programme.

She added: “We’ve had to adapt to so many changes over the past year due to the pandemic.

“It is so nice to take part in the vaccination programme and speak to people getting their vaccinations.

“Some have been self-isolating since last March, so this has been their first time out of their homes.”

Gillian said she had not seen her sister Alison, from Southend, indoors since before lockdown.

They have only been able to see each other outside, from a social distance, since the start of the pandemic.

She said: “We don’t know how long we will be working shifts together but we hope we will be able to do more.”

The women are set to join forces again on January 30, and will continue to stay in close contact via their ‘Vaccinators’ Whatsapp group.