A CHIRK Town Council councillor is set to take part in a Wrexham-based Covid-19 vaccine trial as the UK continues to look for a way to tackle the spread of the virus.

Councillor Gareth Baines has signed up to the trial, organised by the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales, which will begin at Wrexham Maelor Hospital on Monday.

The councillor has been determined to help his community during the pandemic, delivering more than 50,000 items of PPE to those in need.

He now hopes signing up to the trial could eventually prove vital in tackling the pandemic and helping life begin a return to normality.

“There aren’t too many people willing to expose themselves to a clinical trial,” he said.

“At this stage it has already gone through so many tests before they decide to expose it to humans.

“Something needs to be done and obviously we need to rely on some people stepping up to hopefully help in some way.

“It might not help immediately – I might be one of those to get a placebo rather than the real thing, but either way, hopefully the trial can help some way in terms of overcoming the situation we’re all in at the minute.”

The trial will begin on Monday, with participants receiving further medical checks to fully ensure they are healthy enough to take part in the trial.

Participants will have to pay multiple visits to the hospital over the next 18 months as part of the trial.

Cllr Baines believes signing up to the trial could be beneficial in the long run as the UK continues to fight against the pandemic.

He said: “I think it is very important – I think people at every level of government has been quite clear that a collective effort is required to overcome this virus.

“Whether it’s distributing PPE to help people in need, helping in the community or signing up for a trial.

“There are things that people can do that will help the situation overall.

“Obviously signing up for a vaccine trial is a little bit different, and it might take some time to realise the benefits of your efforts.

“But it is the vital reality, because the situation seems to be that until we have a vaccine, life isn’t likely to return back to normal.

“They are still needing volunteers – so anyone healthy aged 18 to 34 who live within a 30-mile radius of the Wrexham Maelor Hospital can apply to take part in the trial.”