A charity single by NHS staff including doctors, nurses and midwives is on course for this year’s coveted Christmas number one spot.
All proceeds from the song, A Bridge Over You, will be shared between Carers UK and Mind (including Mind’s sister charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland). A smaller percentage will also be distributed among smaller healthcare charities.
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The single is a remake of the song A Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel and Fix You by Coldplay. Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust’s choir (pictured) perform the song, and the choir is made up entirely of NHS staff, including nurses, doctors, midwives, porters and administrators.
Jane Cummings, NHS England’s chief nursing officer said the song “shows the important focus on care and compassion that the teams at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust will be giving, along with NHS staff across the country. I support the bid to reach number one and encourage others to do so too.”
It has also received immense support from celebrities, and led to a flood of positive comments for NHS staff.
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One mother responded: “My 18 months baby boy would not have made it if it weren’t for the wonderful NHS,” while another commented that “Our NHS are the most unbelievable health establishment and they do not get anywhere near enough praise, recognition or pay. We are very lucky to have them, and I know that first hand.”
For only the fourth time in UK chart history, this year’s Christmas number one will be announced on Christmas day itself, with BBC Radio 1 counting down the festive chart within a special Christmas show from 10am to 1pm.
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The single is available to download from iTunes and other online retailers now, and the Twitter hashtags are #NHS4XmasNo1 and #loveyourNHS.
