Salisbury, UK, January 21, 2021 (AFP) – The high medieval ramparts of the English Cathedral of Salisbury, erected to celebrate the faith, now hold hope arising from the latest scientific discoveries, to become a center of grafting, heavenly music. The building, which dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, is one of three British cathedrals participating in the largest vaccination program in the country’s history. In a chapel usually designated for prayer, a nurse pulls out a vial of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine after an injection, 98-year-old William Perry has been waiting under a shed for a quarter of an hour due to side effects, sitting at a distance from a farmer and former police officer. This is the first time he has left the house since last March, and although the weather is “a bit wet,” he has no regrets. “Nice to think they are doing something so I can stay here for a few weeks or a few years up to 100!” This is a former RAF engineer, who kept the legendary Spitfire fighter jets during the Battle of Britain in World War II. My turn is for William Perry, who after the war worked as a maintenance engineer in the post office. ” – “Life and Hope” – Like the cathedrals of Blackburn and Lichfield, Salisbury (Southwest) this weekend opened its doors to a massive government program, which plans to vaccinate people over the 1970s and the most vulnerable, say 15 million, before mid-February. This week, 3,000 people are expected to be vaccinated at Salisbury Cathedral. The world has changed a lot since March 2018, when Salisbury made headlines in the assassination attempt on former Russian acrobatic agent Sergei Skripal: British police indicated that two Russians were the main suspects in the attack, which four months later claimed the life of a homeless woman who touched the perfume bottle containing Novichuk nerve gas. The two said they were tourists with a passion for architecture, and they precisely described the building’s tower, which is the tallest in England at 123 meters. ”Medieval craftsmen built it this way 700 years ago because they wanted to point in a provocative and astonishing way toward life and hope, to denote a kingdom God, “says the cathedral priest, Nick Papadopoulos.” It’s exactly the same with the grafting, “he adds. “It provides life and hope to the people of the city, the region, and ultimately the world.” – To the organ voice – “I am so happy that we are following the path of our ancestors in the Middle Ages and showing the way to a happier future,” adds the priest. In the cathedral, holes are made to the sound of the organ, which was recently refurbished by costing around £ 1m (€ 1.1m, $ 1.3m). Organ players take turns throughout the day to perform acts of Bach, Dvorak or Ralph Vaughan Williams. “We hope to create an atmosphere of serenity and calm, we just want to contribute one thing so people can think of something else during the piercing and help the teams so that their day is not long,” said the pastor. Among the assistants is Jenny Grant, 62, daughter of William Perry. A place that has witnessed “a lot of history”, serves “such a wonderful goal for the people,” “is a very special thing,” he says. She hopes: “It will be wonderful when we finish all this and life can return to normal.” / gmo / erl / es