FAMILY members with more than 90 years of nursing experience between them reunited for the first time in years to help administer coronavirus vaccines to the elderly.

Gillian Knight, 55, sister Alison Johnson, 58, and their cousin Julie Morehen, 60, joined forces to give jabs to the over-80s.

Gillian, from South Woodham Ferrers, works as a practice nurse, and was tasked with finding nurses qualified to administer Covid jabs to help at a vaccination hub at Audley Mills Surgery, in Rayleigh.

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

Although the nurses have not met up as a group for about four years, they have been keeping in touch with each other on a WhatsApp group.

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

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

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

“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 patients, but they all decided not to inject each other.

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

“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 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.”