Anyone living in Wooburn Green will have noticed dozens of people in high-vis jackets walking around the village ever since it was revealed the Covid-19 South African variant was found here.

The shock discovery prompted a swift response from Buckinghamshire Council, with volunteers heading house-to-house delivering home Covid testing kits in Wooburn Green and parts of Flackwell Heath.

Living in Wooburn Green, my fiancé and I have been awaiting our free home tests through the door. Sadly, we were out on our daily exercise when the volunteers arrived at some point late morning on Friday, February 26, to deliver them.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus South African variant found in Bucks

We returned home this afternoon to this notice through the door, urging us to instead visit the mobile testing unit that has been set up in the car park behind the Red Lion pub off Whitepit Lane. This site is only for those with no symptoms – if you have symptoms, you’re advised to book a test via 119 or online.  

Bucks Free Press: You'll get this note through the door if you're not in when the home test kits are deliveredYou'll get this note through the door if you're not in when the home test kits are delivered

Checking online, the mobile test site is open every day until 5pm up to March 2, so with masks on, we walked the few minutes down to the village centre at around 3.45pm to see if we could get ourselves a test done the same day.

We weren’t expecting to be able to – it was late in the day and I could envision huge queues to get a test.

ALSO READ: Door to door Covid tests if you live in these Bucks postcodes

Arriving at the site entrance on Whitepit Lane and thrilled to see absolutely no queue whatsoever, we were greeted by a friendly volunteer who explained that when one of the tables in the site became free, we would be able to go over and start the test process.

Bucks Free Press: This is what the site looks like - pictured after it arrived on February 25This is what the site looks like - pictured after it arrived on February 25

In the meantime, the volunteer informed us where we needed to register our tests afterwards (www.gov.uk/register-your-test) and shared with us the mobile site code (WCE), which we needed during the registration.

We were also asked if we were happy to carry out the tests ourselves, which we were. So rest assured, if you’re worried about having to do it yourself, a volunteer at the site is on hand to do it for you.

ALSO READ: Day one of surge testing in Bucks: We visited the mobile testing unit

Once the residents going through the process in front of us were finished, the site volunteers sanitised the surfaces and chairs and we were then allowed to head over.

We were asked to sanitise our hands before each sitting down in front of a small mirror at either end of a long plastic table and with our test kit in a bag in front of us.

The kit contained a sealed swab, a plastic tube with a small amount of liquid inside, a zip-lock bag, a white absorbent pad, a biohazard bag with a silver seal and a test receipt card.

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Another volunteer explained clearly what was in front of us and what we needed to do. We were to take the swab out of the packaging – being careful not to touch the fabric end with our hands – and rub it across our tonsils around five times.

We were then instructed to insert the same swab into one of our nostrils and rotate it.

Once we were done, we unscrewed the tube with the liquid inside it, placed the swab inside and snapped the stick (at the ‘break point’) before safely screwing the lid back on.

ALSO READ: Everything you need to know about the South African variant

We placed the tube back inside the zip-lock bag, which then went into the biohazard bag before we sealed it up.

The same volunteer who watched over the process then used a handy grabber tool to take our samples off us, placing them in the middle of the long table we were sat at – before another volunteer with a grabber came over to collect them.

And with a further hand sanitisation, our Covid tests were done and we were allowed to leave and get on with our day.

ALSO READ: South African variant: How Wooburn Green has been hit by Covid-19 since pandemic began

All in all, it took around 10 minutes. It was a much quicker and easier process than I was expecting.

We arrived back home with our test receipt cards which had individual barcodes on it to identify our tests.

Bucks Free Press: The test receipt card you're given after the test is carried outThe test receipt card you're given after the test is carried out

Heading online to gov.uk/register-your-test, we each ran through a 10-minute questionnaire, which included questions about what time we visited and if we had travelled abroad recently, and scanned our barcodes.  

We included our email addresses and mobile phone numbers during the registration, so we can expect our results through within 48 hours.  

Bucks Free Press: The registration is confirmedThe registration is confirmed

Overall it was a really quick and easy process, with no booking needed. We felt completely at ease with sanitisation and social distancing in place at the site. And if you get the test kit through the door, it’s even easier – as the volunteers who drop it off will return later in the day to pick it back up.

Volunteers will be dropping tests round to homes up until March 2. If you’re not in when they knock, don’t panic – a leaflet will instruct you how to proceed.

If you need to find the mobile testing unit, it’s at the Red Lion pub car park, 41 The Green, Wooburn Green, HP10 0EU. It is open 9am to 5pm every day until March 2.