THE mass vaccination centre in Builth Wells will reopen next week after it was temporarily closed for the return of the Royal Welsh Winter Fair this week.

The Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, just outside Builth, has been operating as an appointment-only vaccination centre since January this year, having previously homed a mobile testing unit during the pandemic.

Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) took the decision to close the centre temporarily in November as in-person events returned to the showground, with the Winter Fair welcoming scores of people back to the popular event this week, taking place over two days on Monday and Tuesday, November 29 and 30.

It was the first major event on the showground to be held since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020, which led to widespread cancellation of gatherings – and the first Winter Fair since the show celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019.

“Work is well under way on the rebuild and vaccination will start again on Tuesday, December 7,” said health board assistant communications director Adrian Osborne.

“We will be re-opening our reserve list shortly for Builth Wells too (currently open at Newtown and Bronllys to anyone aged 65+ whose second dose was more than three months ago.”

Click here for the PTHB form for the latest eligibility for reserve appointments for booster doses.

The health board had originally announced that the vaccination centre would be closed from November 21 and reopen on Sunday, December 5, but health chiefs have pushed that back to next Tuesday.

People living in the area have been able to receive a vaccine or booster jab at centres in Bronllys and Newtown during this time.

A health board spokesperson previously said of the Winter Fair closure: “This is such a key event for the festive, cultural and economic life of the county, and it is vital that we support its success after it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

“We are tremendously grateful for the ongoing partnership with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, which has been vital to the vaccination programme in Powys.

“We have been working with them on the carefully planned work to ensure that people here in Powys and across Wales can enjoy the Winter Fair and continue to have access to Covid-19 vaccination.”

The Green Pavilion, the location of the vaccination centre, hosted trade stands during the Winter Fair.

The showground team will take down the trade stand infrastructure this week, with the health board to return to set up the centre and deep clean the area and make final preparations ready to reopen next week.