Rotherham's NHS heroes release Christmas song

Christmas Courage began life as a poem, penned by the health trust’s activities coordinator, Maggie Boldan. Hospital graphic designer and music producer John Slater helped turn it into a catchy, Christmassy tune.

Maggie, who has been working on the Covid-19 wards in-between creating funny, and often touching poems, said she cried the first time she heard the finished song.

“When John asked me to write a poem he could turn into a song, I looked to the staff and our patients for inspiration,” she said.

“I’m really pleased with how the song has turned out.

“I cried when I heard it for the first time. It’s absolutely amazing to be involved in making something like this.

“It’s just the morale booster we need right now and I hope it makes people smile.”

Christmas Courage includes the voices of 11 Trust colleagues, who all recorded their vocals in a makeshift recording studio at Rotherham Hospital. It is hoped the song will boost morale and help spread festive cheer among staff, as well as raising funds for the Rotherham Hospital and Community Charity’s Virtual Christmas Collection Bucket challenge.

John added: “We now know that most Christmas songs and videos are recorded much earlier in the year, but we were inspired to transform Maggie’s wonderful poem into a song, so we didn’t feel deterred by the tight deadline.

“We’ve worked around the clock to make it happen within days and thanks to some amazing singers from across the trust who volunteered to lend their voices to the song, we’ve managed to record it in time for Christmas.

“It's been an incredibly difficult year for our hardworking colleagues and we know that Covid-19 has touched the lives of many people in Rotherham. We hope our song lifts people’s spirits in the run-up to Christmas.”

Listen to Christmas Courage via Spotify, iTunes or Google Play from Monday. The lyrics will also be available to download from the trust’s website to encourage people to sing-along