As we reach the final week of our crowdfunding campaign to fund free tickets for NHS staff, retired Nightingale nurse Mary Broughton recalls how music helped her as a student nurse and why she is supporting our campaign. 

“As a Nightingale Nurse who attended St John’s concerts, I can think of nothing better to give to a tired nurse in the future, on her day off after a doing 12 hour shifts during this pandemic.

In the late 1960s I was training as a nurse at St Thomas’ hospital and remember I used to walk past St John’s Smith Square on my way home in nearby Pimlico. Student nurse salaries didn’t go very far but in those days we were lucky enough to benefit from free ‘on the day’ tickets to concerts, opera and ballet. At the age of only 18 we were thrown into situations of life and death that our friends in other jobs couldn’t even begin to imagine. After a long, tiring shift, it was tough to unwind and put aside the memories of the day – holding a patient’s hand whilst they breathed their last or comforting a relative after hearing the news they never wanted to hear. In the concert hall or the opera house I was able to immerse myself in a different world and ‘switch off’ from everything else. My nephew is currently working 12-hour shifts on a Covid ward in London and I know from him how difficult it is to unwind, especially in today’s world of 24-hour news.

Although I no longer live so close by, my husband and I still travel up to London to go to concerts – we particularly like St John’s for the quality of artists performing there as well as the intimacy of the setting and its magnificent historic building. We have also enjoyed performing In London venues ourselves as part of a community choir. I was pleased to be able to support this initiative by St John’s: I know first-hand how important a role music and the arts plays in all of our lives, especially in times of crisis.”

A huge thank you to Mary and to everyone who has supported the campaign, raising over £7,000 so far.  Now at almost 60%, there is just a week left to hit the target of £12,500. Can you help us achieve it?

For more information and to support the campaign visit: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/free-concert-tickets-for-nhs-staff