Can ewe baa-lieve it? Sheep and family fun days offered to get kids jabbed

Shaggy sheep and family fun days are being used to help support children who are being vaccinated this half-term.

As part of a push to to get 12-to-15-year-olds jabbed during their break, NHS England has also set-up a skate park to entice youngsters in to clinics.

Shetland sheep – called Lashes, Cumin, Coriander, Clove and Cardamom – were at hand in a petting zoo for the youngsters who went for their Covid-19 vaccination at Epsom’s North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot) on Saturday.

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Sama Ali, 14, of Tadworth, Surrey – who is scared of needles, said she had the Covid-19 jab because it would be help protect her family, including her 75-year-old grandmother.

The teenager added it would also mean she can spend time safely with her friends.

She described having the sheep around as “calming”, and added that “it was fun to stroke the animals because you do not usually get to do that sort of thing”.

Her mother Farina Ahmad said: “I am so proud of her. The sheep were a nice surprise, especially as she was nervous.”

Veronika Brosnan, 12, of Sutton, said she had “felt a bit nervous about the injection, but now I feel better after getting it”.

After later meeting the sheep, she said: “It was fun to feed the sheep and stroking them because when I am older I want to work with animals.”

All of the youngsters who attended the pop-up vaccination drive set up by GP Health Partners were accompanied by an adult.

Catherine Frew Brown, of GP Health Partners, said: “We want the children to appreciate the experience and they may come back again without feeling anxious and fearful.

“It is very important that this age group is