Published on 15 December 2020
A nurse consultant from the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is hoping for a different kind of viral this festive season, as part of an NHS choir aiming for a Christmas number one.
Catherine Plowright is part of a 100-strong Zoom choir made up of intensive care staff who have joined the race for the festive top spot with their re-make of classic Police track ‘Every Breath You Take’.
The charity single is raising funds to support NHS staff who have been on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.
The choir, known as the ICU Liberty Singers, includes nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals from intensive care units across the country. Catherine worked in the ITU at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital during the first wave of the pandemic.
She said: “The choir began life as an attempt to bring some fun and respite to ICU workers after the toughest year in history.
“It has been hugely therapeutic and when we met virtually for the first time in November we had an hour of hilarity, singing a range of songs and letting go of the enormous pressure we have all faced all year.
“We were able to join together in a spirit of run and relaxation – a much needed antidote to the immense, unrelenting challenge this year has brought for ITU and other hospital staff.”
Choir director Kari Olsen Porthouse worked with Dr Alison Pittard, Dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine with the idea for the choir and it snowballed from there.
Jackie Shears, from NHS Digital, is a member of one of Kari’s other choirs and offered to rewrite the lyrics for the track so that it recognised the contribution of ITU staff and encouraged people to continue following national guidelines to keep safe.
They were granted legal permission by Sony to record the song, with the original idea to play it in hospitals across the country on Christmas Day to give a boost to staff working over the festive season.
But then the idea for a single was born. After two zoom rehearsals, the 115 choir members recorded their contributions in their own homes and these were blended in a studio to create the virtual choir sound.
Rich Williams, of Ringstead Studios, played and recorded all the instrumental parts to match the vocal recording.
Kari said: “Singing is immensely powerful for helping establish and maintain good mental health – but something really special happens when we sing together and the effect is even more powerful.
“There is a sense of belonging, and a sense of a team working to deliver something beautiful. That perfectly captures the strength and teamwork of ICU staff this year and the chance to give them something back and recognise their phenomenal efforts is a privilege.”
The ICU Liberty Singers’ version of Every Breath You Take is released on Friday, 18 December and will be available for download and streaming through the usual channels.
