They’ve had a busy year in 2016; auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent and receiving four yeses from the celebrity judges, being chosen to work with local primary schools on a 2017 City of Culture ‘Song for Hull’, and even forming a surprise flashmob for a bride at her wedding.

Now HEY! Let’s Sing; the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust staff choir; is getting into the festive spirit with a special celebration of their own.

After a busy day performing for shoppers in Princes Quay, entertaining patients on the hospital wards, and singing carols around the Hull Royal Infirmary Christmas tree, you could forgive choir members for wanting to call it a day.

But instead they called it twelve, by re-writing and performing the lyrics to the famous ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ song. Their new NHS version is designed to pay tribute to just some of the scores of staff groups who make up the Trust’s 8,000-strong workforce.

Bonnie Gough, Web Developer and HEY! Let’s Sing Staff Choir Coordinator says:

“It was a bit of a last minute idea inspired by a suggestion from one of our choir members, but we decided it would be fantastic to have our own Twelve Days of Christmas, and to use it to highlight the different people who work in our hospitals.

“It was a team effort to hastily re-write the lyrics to cover all manner of staff groups, from pharmacists and nurses to ward clerks and porters, to show that it takes all sorts of people working in different roles to deliver great care to our patients all year round.

“It was also a bit of fun, as we’ve all worked really hard this year, not just in our NHS roles but to keep developing our choir, and it’s a lovely way to finish off what has been a fantastic year for us.”

Footage from the choir’s performance at the hospital’s annual tree lighting ceremony has been combined with cameo appearances from representatives of the various staff groups to create the ‘Twelve Days of NHS Christmas’ video. Lyrics have even been added to the bottom of the screen to enable viewers to sing along.

Andrew Murphy Pittock, Head of Undergraduate Medical Education, is one of the 65+ HEY! Let’s Sing choir members representing Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham. Membership covers many different job roles, and currently includes an ED consultant, finance workers, therapists, and a strong showing from the Trust midwives.

Andrew says:

“Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year, but even more so since joining the choir. We sing at incredible events throughout the year, but the pinnacle for me is singing for our patients on the wards.

“Bringing just that little bit of cheer to our patients when they are at their most vulnerable is a very special thing for me, and exactly what Christmas and the NHS are about.

“Our choir is so diverse with staff from across the Trust but we share these special moments that, as well as lifting our audiences, also lift us away from the pressures of our busy ward or environment.”

The HEY! Let’s Sing ‘Twelve Days of NHS Christmas’ can be found online at the HEYNHS YouTube Channel.