Rob Whale, who was the head of music at Bradfield School for 23 years until summer 2019, created ‘The NHS Song’ to highlight the efforts of the NHS and other frontline staff who are risking their lives in the battle against coronavirus.
The 53-year says he found some inspiration from the Bradfield School staff who have produced thousands of protective visors for NHS staff across the region.
He wrote, recorded, and produced the song with lyrics mentioning the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS among other topics.
Rob, who will be teaching at Stocksbridge High School come September, said: “I saw what Bradfield was doing but I have an underlying health condition, I have high blood pressure and couldn’t get a straight answer as to whether I was in the risk category or not so I decided I wouldn’t help them.
“I found I had an incredible amount of guilt from not doing it so I felt I needed to do something. I wrote some of the song, recorded it, and then thought it would be a good idea to get other people to contribute.”
The recording also features a number of Rob’s talented family and friends, including two former Bradfield students, two current students, and four members of the Sheffield-based folk group ‘Jack’s Rake’ of which Rob is a member.
So far, £1,150 has been raised for the NHS Charities Together but Rob hopes to raise much more.
He added: “A lot of the things I was reading and seeing were pretty worrying, about how the NHS were performing unbelievably well against all odds with a lack of PPE – that was the main inspiration behind it.
“Also, I just wanted to do a tribute to my colleagues who had worked so amazingly in putting the PPE together. My mother is also in a care home and care homes are suffering badly so I just wanted to mention her and the amazing staff she has.”
You can listen to the full song on Youtube and donate via www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rob-whale.
A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.
Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.
Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Thank you. Nancy Fielder, editor
1. NSST-13-05-20-nhs song(2) edit.jpg
Rob Whale wrote 'The NHS Song', a collaborative lockdown recording, to raise money for the NHS. Pictured are all the contributors. Photo: Rob Whale