Blue is the Colour

To honour our healthcare workers, carers and all frontline staff during the nationwide #ClapForOurCarers initiative tonight …

Blue is the Colour and Somewhere Over the Rainbow is the song!

Chichester Cathedral is the latest Church of England cathedral to turn blue in recognition of the contribution made by front-line health workers and the NHS – thanks to generous support of its local theatre, the Chichester Festival Theatre who provided both the equipment and professional expertise.

The Dean of Chichester, The Very Revd Stephen Waine, said:

“The Cathedral is visible from many miles around, including from Chichester’s own St. Richard’s Hospital. We hope this sends a message of support to all the carers and health care professionals working so hard in these unprecedented times.
“From our homes we pray for you and your families – as well as all those affected by this pandemic.”

And Lincoln, which has been lit up blue throughout the pandemic, has just recorded a video of the song Somewhere over the Rainbow by its Cathedral choir as a tribute to the NHS, carers and frontline staff serving the country during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The performance features more than half of the Cathedral choristers as well as the lay vicars and choral scholars who make up the Cathedral choir.

Mark Wilde, a lay vicar in the Cathedral Choir who coordinated the project, said:

“As a choir we are used to coming together every day of the week to practice and to sing in the cathedral, we spend a lot of time together and that is something that we have all really missed during the lockdown,” he said.

“This project has given us the opportunity to join together and sing the same song even though we can’t be in the same space, and it is nice to have that sense of unity again.

“Importantly it is also a way that we can pay our own small tribute to all those working on the front line and remind them how much they are valued and hopefully bring a smile to their faces at the same time.”

All of the individual parts were recorded at home then returned to Mark to be edited into a single song; a task that he admits has been quite a challenge. “I have some editing experience, but I have never done anything like this before; there has been a lot of time spent looking at YouTube tutorials.”

The Very Revd Christine Wilson, Dean of Lincoln said:

“The theme of hope and optimism in the song Somewhere over the Rainbow is very relevant at the moment. It reminds us that although times may be difficult, with people struggling in many different ways, there will be a time when the lockdown is over. Until then we give thanks for the hard work and dedication of all those working in the NHS, as carers, and in all essential front line roles.

“I hope that when people listen to this wonderful recording by our talented choir, that it brings peace into their day, a moment of joy and the assurance of hope for the future.”

The video was released on all of Lincoln Cathedral’s social media channels and website at 4pm on Thursday 30 April, to coincide with the weekly Clap for Carers events that take place national every Thursday at 8pm.