Legendary gay bar pleads with government to let it help with COVID vaccine roll-out
The Nightingale Club in Birmingham has offered to assist with the vaccination roll-out in the city. (@NightingaleClub/Twitter)
The Nightingale Club in Birmingham has offered its venue to help with the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in the city.
In a tweet today (4 January 2021) the iconic club wrote: “Following the amazing lead taken by @BrewDogJames we too would like to offer the @NightingaleClub venue to assist with vaccination rollout for free.
“We are one of the biggest venues in Birmingham with ample room for NHS staff over three floors. Let us help.”
This follows James Watt, CEO and co-founder of BrewDog, offered similar services on Twitter on 31 December 2021.
His tweet said: “We would like to offer our closed BrewDog venues to help with a quick roll out of the vaccine. For free.
“We have waiting areas, huge refrigerators, separate rooms for vaccinations and an ace team who can help organise. We want to help.”
Many praised the Nightingale’s offer on social media
Watt praised Lawrence Barton, a director for Birmingham Pride, for offering up The Nightingale Club on behalf of Birmingham. He said it was “great to see other closed hospitality venues offering assistance too”.
One Twitter user tweeted: “Top rate club, top rate offer!”
While other Birmingham residents put in requests for songs to be vaccinated to, with Little Mix, Charlie XCX and All Time Low among the top requests.
One went even more specific, writing: “I want to be vaccinated right at the Chromatica II/911 moment.”
The Nightingale Club calls itself “Birmingham’s oldest and largest LGBT venue”, boasting three floors, four rooms and five bars.
The iconic venue was supposed to have a documentary about its 50 year history premiered at Birmingham Pride 2020. The event had to be postponed to May 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Many LGBT+ venues have been struggling in the wake of the pandemic, such Eden Bar, another Birmingham LGBT+ venue, which had to close down in October 2020.
