WATCH IT NOW: Scarborough musicians record David Bowie's Heroes to say thank you to NHS staff

Scarborough musicians and singers have put together a video of David Bowie's Heroes to say 'thank you' to front line staff.
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The gesture was the idea of Scarborough duo Terri-Ann Prendergast and Harry Bullen, who formed Penny Whispers earlier this year.

"We reached out to other musicians and singers in Scarborough to see if a collaboration would be possible," said Terri-Ann.

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"The message behind the idea is to say thank you to those key individuals and teams who are working hard for us through this crisis," she said.

Terri-Ann Prendergast and Harry BullenTerri-Ann Prendergast and Harry Bullen
Terri-Ann Prendergast and Harry Bullen

They chose Heroes by David Bowie because it is a very unique song. "It enables everyone to interpret the song in their own way musically, to show off everyone's different styles," said Terri-Ann, who grew up in Cayton.

"This highlights how the different voices from different backgrounds come together to make to the project work, in the same way that the different services come together to keep the world going."

Terri-Ann and Harry recorded a guide track and sent it out to those involved. All of the singers and musicians self recorded in their homes during lockdown and sent in their audio and video files.

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They then received additional instrumentation including orchestration from Beach Hut Theatre Company’s musical director, John Pattison.

"It has been lovely to bring together the musical community in Scarborough at this time which has been very difficult for all of us as we have lost our work. Creating this project as shown a sense of solidarity between us," she said.

The duo also received video footage from various key workers around Yorkshire.

One singer, Sophie Norris, who works in the eye clinic at Bridlington gathered footage of her NHS colleagues.

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"Sophie did a great job in getting performance’s from her colleagues in what must be quite a difficult environment.

"Some were really creative with their videos and looked they had a lot of fun making them," said Terri-Ann.

Dan Robinson also helped gather footage from Scarborough Neighbourhood Policing Team, Gladstone Road School and the Scarborough and Burniston Coastguard Rescue Team.

Once all files were received, Harry set to work mixing and producing the track whilst Terri-Ann edited the video.

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“It’s been a long process but well worth the effort and outcome to say thank you.”

"In these past couple of months, reality has kicked in. It's not the rock stars and entertainers who have kept the world ticking over - its those who have put their life on the line everyday to keep the world running as smoothly as possible.

"Musicians from Scarborough teamed up together to create this project, just to say thank you to our Yorkshire Heroes and to everyone out there who is keeping us safe during covid-19," she said.

The video has had a fantastic response being viewed more than 10,000 times in its first 12 hours and key workers everywhere in Yorkshire have left messages of thanks.

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"As musicians and entertainers, it is the least we can do to give something back," said Terri-Ann.

MUSICIANS INVOLVED

Harry Bullen

Dan Robinson

Callum Marshall

Sophie Norris

Terri-Ann Prendergast

Jon Dawes

David Echevarria

John Pattison

Marcus Mcinerney

Production and Edit by - Penny Whispers

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO-

Abby House vets in Morley

Bridlington Eye Clinic

Scarborough Eye Clinic

Bridlington Outpatients’s

Bridlington Medical Records

Bridlington Outpatients Reception

Scarborough Neighbourhood Policing Team

Gladstone Road School

Scarborough RNLI

Care Workers at Silver Birches Filey

ICU Scarborough Hospital

Scarborough & Burniston Coastguard Rescue Team

.. .And all our Yorkshire Heroes.

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