The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir have released a charity song with 2008 X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke in a touching tribute to those working on the coronavirus frontline.
The acclaimed NHS Choir feature on a cover of the dance song ‘You’re Not Alone’ with Burke and the London Concert Orchestra released online with Ministry of Sound on May 23 in support of NHS staff caring for COVID-19 patients.
Choir member Caroline Smith told Eastlondonlines: “We feel very privileged to have been involved in such a fantastic project. The last few months have been difficult for everyone, and this song is a reminder that we are here when people need us.”
The choir, made up of local and recently retired NHS staff, recorded themselves at home individually on their phones and did not know how the song would sound until it was released on the 2008 X-Factor winner’s social media.
Smith, a community children’s physiotherapist added: “We miss singing together, but we set up virtual rehearsals and it was a real morale boost to see each other online each week. It was also great to be singing with an orchestra.”
Burke, who recently starred in a UK tour of the musical ‘The Bodyguard’, said on Twitter: “I was so proud to record ‘You’re Not Alone’ with the @LonConOrch and the @Choir_NHS in support of all our @NHS staff caring for COVID-19 patients. You aren’t alone and we 
The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, who are working on a new song and video, were first featured on Gareth Malone’s BBC2 show ‘Sing While You Work’ in 2012 and rose to the Christmas Number 1 on the official UK chart in 2015.
Members include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and others working in hospitals and community settings, as well as those behind the scenes in IT, admissions and medical records.
Smith said she hopes that the mix of roles within the choir raises awareness of the many professions involved in looking after patients at this time and continuously in the NHS.
