Married couple Beverley Sunderland and Jonathan Cross attend Buckingham Palace garden party after leading Newbury Racecourse Covid vaccination centre

A couple who led the Covid vaccination centre at Newbury Racecourse to deliver over 66,500 vaccinations were honoured with an invitation to a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Beverley Sunderland and her husband Jonathan Cross helped co-ordinate a 400-strong volunteer force to deliver thousands of vaccinations during the centre’s six-month operation from January to June 2021.

The pair attended the palace on Wednesday, May 8, and other members of the royal family who joined King Charles at the party include Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, along with other invited guests.

Mrs Sunderland said: “My husband and I were very honoured to be invited by the King to attend the royal garden party, which we assume was for our work at the vaccination centre at Newbury Racecourse – it’s the only good we have done!

“We will never forget that time, or the amazing efforts of all the 400 volunteers who stepped forward to ensure the vulnerable and local community were vaccinated as quickly as possible, and worked in partnership with the great NHS team who got the centre up and running so quickly.”