NHSC update, events and 2023 rehearsal dates
Welcome to the June update! We hope you are managing to keep cool in this hot weather. NHSC members have had a busy few months, learning a host of new songs as well as supporting our NHS colleagues through ballots and strike action. For any RCN members, just a reminder that the ballot remains open until the 23rd June, so there is still time to make your voice heard.
2023 Rehearsal Dates 15:45-19:00 on Sunday 9th July 15:45-19:00 on Sunday 17th September 15:45-19:00 on Sunday 15th October 15:45-19:00 on Sunday 12th November All rehearsals are held at St Wilfrid’s Church Hall, 97 Lorrimore Road, London, SE17 3LZ The hall is an accessible venue with its own kitchen. The nearest tube stations are Kennington and Oval (Northern Line), and the nearest overground is Vauxhall Station. There is free parking outside the venue on Sundays and it is not in the Congestion Zone. The first month is free for new members as a "taster session", so please get in touch if you would like to join us for one of rehearsals. Online resources continue to be available for our members, produced by Jenny and in collaboration with Sweet Charity Choir Online.
NHSC Events NHSC will be joining the Big Summer Wind Orchestra and Choir on Wednesday 21st June as part of Make Music Day, with hundreds of musicians and singers taking part to present a huge performance in central London. This event is open to all singers, wind and brass instrumentalists, so if you are free please come along and join in. This is an outdoor event at the Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross, N1C 4DQ and will take place from 18:30-20:30. There are also a number of events coming up for the NHS 75th birthday celebrations on Wednesday 5th July, including an online rally at 18:30, hosted by Keep Our NHS Public - find out how you can join in here.
Super Heroes Our charity single is available on all major platforms, and still raising funds for our two wonderful charities that provide mental health support to NHS staff: the Healthcare Workers' Foundation and the Intensive Care Society. You can watch the video here. We are delighted that we hit both the original and the stretch targets on our Just Giving fundraiser, raising £600 which has been split between the two charities. In addition to mental health and wellbeing support, they provide hardship grants, funding for 1:1 psychology sessions, and a host of other services to our NHS colleagues. A massive thank you to all those who donated. If you missed it, and would still like to support, you can donate direct to the charities via their websites.
An additional thank you to everyone who joined us for rehearsals and supported us over these last few difficult years, and who continue to be part of the NHSC family. Particular thanks go to our wonderful choir director Jenny Deacon, and fabulous acting choir director Alice Morgan, for keeping us singing and having fun together this year.
If you are considering joining a choir, and are not already a member, then NHSC just might be the right fit for you! We are a political choir that is open to all - NHS staff, patients and supporters - with a focus on protecting and supporting our NHS and promoting wellbeing through singing.