A letter from Downing Street congratulating Harpenden on its hard work in vaccinating people has been received by MP Bim Afolami.

In his address, MP Matt Hancock said that Harpenden Health PCN is one of the highest performing vaccination areas in the country.

The Health Secretary said he would like to thank the people of Harpenden for "their amazing efforts" in "coming together in these difficult times to deliver a truly inspiring community effort."

He went on to name several people:

"The three GP surgeries (the Harpenden Health PCN) are at the heart of your response. I would like to specially thank Clinical Director, Dr David Hemsi and clinical leads Dr Tania Goodwin and Dr Chas Thenuwara, ably supported by the local practice managers and Zoe Matthews from the St Albans and Harpenden GP Federation.

"Hayley Geurts has done a fantastic job running the Vaccination Centre. All three tiers of local government have worked together to support your response. Cllr Mary Maynard, the founder and chair of Harpenden Cares and Cllr Teresa Heritage, a local county councillor, have helped ensure seamless support from local councils, and Harpenden Town Council also deserves a special mention for running the Volunteer Test Centre.

"The Harpenden Trust, led by Pat Ring and Richard Nichols have managed the volunteer effort, identifying over 700 volunteers eager to support the effort."

Matt Hancock said he had heard how efficient, warm and welcoming the atmosphere was and that Harpenden has been a magnificent example of how a whole community can come together to deliver a truly outstanding result.

Bim said: "It is fantastic that the Harpenden community's hard work has been recognised by the Health Secretary. This shows the real effort and quality of Harpenden people coming together at the time of the pandemic."