The woman at the centre of efforts to secure vaccines for the UK has said that students from new Hereford university NMITE can "lead the way" after visiting its new Skylon Campus.

Dame Kate Bingham, who is married to Hereford and South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman, was at the university in Rotherwas for the launch of her new book, titled The Long Shot: The inside story of the race to vaccinate Britain.

The book tells the story of how the taskforce beat the odds and enabled the biggest vaccination campaign in Britain’s history – by the woman who made it happen.

It details how Mrs Bingham, while working from her home in Herefordshire, juggled vaccine suppliers, Whitehall, the media, and the needs of her own family.

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She said the rural isolation helped with refreshing the mind keeping it free of all the madness surrounding the project and helped her concentrate on the huge task in front of her.

Perseverance paid off for Mrs Bingham and her team, helping to change the course of the pandemic in the process.

Mrs Bingham met NMITE students at the book launch on Friday, October 21, and said that they can become innovative leaders of the future.

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She believes the University's "learning-by-doing" approach will leave students well equipped with the practical skills needed to ensure they are ready to work in industry on real-life problems, leaving the country better equipped to deal with future crises.

She said: "I'm excited to watch NMITE's alumni progress into leadership positions where we so need people who understand technology and innovation.”

President and chief executive of NMITE James Newby said: "We are in huge awe of what Kate achieved in her tenure as chair of the government's vaccine taskforce and are immensely grateful that she has made such a public demonstration of her support for NMITE.

"We are appreciative of Kate’s support of our own pioneering ambition in higher education and her desire to keep NMITE and its role in Herefordshire in the public eye."