Talented NHS staff have released a Christmas song named after the hospital they work in.
Peter Prest and Paul Hewitson, also known as The MopHeads, have written ‘St Nicholas (A Joy for Christmas)’ to raise money for the SHINE Fund, the general fund for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
The musical duo work as cleaners for NTW Solutions at St Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth.
This is their third song to date, having already sold over 100 CDs and raised over £2,000 for SHINE.
The pair weren’t planning to write a Christmas song, but a conversation with a colleague sparked the idea after realising the link between St Nicholas and Christmas.
“As soon as I heard the proposed title of ‘St Nicholas (A joy for Christmas)’, I was like wow, it has to be done!” Paul said.
The song has an accompanying music video, filmed in the hospital’s Jubilee Theatre. The theatre was transformed into a winter wonderland for the occasion, complete with snow and decorations.
Colleagues from NTW Solutions also make an appearance in the video.
Peter said: “We wanted to create something that would have everyone singing together. It’s about togetherness. It’s about our community, our work, our friends and family. I think it’s a really great tune.”
The money raised by The Mopheads has made a big difference to patients in Trust services. This year, SHINE has funded items such as exercise equipment, dementia clocks, gardening tools and flowers, jigsaws, barbecues, and sensory equipment.
Talking about the impact of their fundraising, Paul said: “I was cleaning an office and a colleague called me over to his desk. He said ‘look at this’ and showed me an air fryer on the screen and said, ‘The Mopheads helped pay for this’. What we’ve raised benefits patients and that’s just amazing.”
The Mopheads will be performing at a Christmas concert at the Jubilee Theatre on Thursday 19 December, where they will be joined by Sax on the Tyne and Heaton Jukebox. To find out more and to buy tickets, visit Eventbrite.
‘St Nicholas (A joy for Christmas)’, as well as other tracks by The Mopheads, are available on all major streaming platforms. Find out more and watch the latest music video by visiting the NTW Solutions website www.ntwsolutions.co.uk/hope
The pair hope to raise a lot more money for SHINE. “This is just the beginning!” Peter said.