PEOPLE who had formed an orderly queue outside a vaccination hub in Oxford were pleasantly distracted by a public spirited entertainer.

Street performer Juggling John, who is a well-known party magician, juggler, fire-eater, clown and escapologist in the city, surprised onlookers with a little performance outside the Jericho Health Centre on Saturday.

Elaine Cohen, who is chairman of the patient group at the practice, snapped a photo of Juggling John in the midst of his eye-catching performance.

She said the appearance was arranged by volunteer stewards at the medical centre on Walton Street to distract people from the wait and the freezing cold weather.

Ms Cohen, who coordinates the volunteers at the practice and looks after their rotas, said: “The weekend before we got in touch with Juggling John, the queues outside were really long and people had to wait around.

“You could see that they were getting anxious and a little bit grumpy while they were having to wait to be called in for a vaccine.

“People are pleased to be receiving the vaccine but they are nervous.

“We really thought hard what we can do to distract them and entertain them.

“We could not hire a singer or a dancer because of Covid-19 restrictions but the we thought – what about a juggler.”

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Ms Cohen, who sang the entertainer’s praises, added that Juggling John was more than happy to volunteer his time for free, so he can do his bit for people.

She said: “ Juggling John was absolutely great and everyone loved his performance. He was there for an hour and a half and you could see that people were really enjoying the juggle.”