New version of Beatles classic celebrates mental health services in Sussex

The Heartsmiths, a musical duo who used to pack out pubs, clubs and restaurants in Mid Sussex, features Steve Smith and Paul Hartley.

Paul is a singer/songwriter/composer and musical arranger and Steve is a community mental health nurse, who works in the dementia team in Worthing, part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust provides mental health and learning disability services in Sussex and children's mental health services in Hampshire.

The duo quit regular gigging but continue to play, write and sing as a hobby and collaborate on a number of projects close to their hearts.

Steve said: "Paul knows quite a bit about Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust from talking to me and we decided it would be a worthwhile project to raise the profile of the great work in mental health, which is continuing during the current crisis, as it’s easy to forget that mental health services are still working and seeing patients face to face every day.

"We also thought we could highlight the appeal from Heads On, the charity at Sussex Partnership, to try and raise a bit of money for our staff and patients.

"We batted a few ideas back and forth and kept coming back to the beauty of All My Loving. It just seemed to be a good fit. The musical element of the video bounced between us for a couple of weeks, getting additions and tweaks here and there until we settled on something that we were both happy with. We played it to a few people and the reaction was universally positive and frequently tearful".

The pair put their version of the song to some poignant pictures taken by Steve, who is also an avid photographer, and created a video to highlight the work being carried out in mental health nursing in Sussex. You can watch their video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/NHUiFMz4m1w

Steve added, "I made the video with photographs from my own website and images in the news that touched me. We wanted the images to reflect the impact that Covid-19 is having on our local area, so most of the pictures are of Sussex".

If you are moved by the video and would like to help staff and patients at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, you can find out about the Heads On appeal here: www.headsoncharity.org/news/urgent-appeal-covid-19-relief-fund/index.html and you can donate here: http://www.headsoncharity.org/donate/index.htmlYou can also find some of the original photos from the video on Steve’s website: http://www.heartsmiths.co.uk.

Why running is my lockdown release

Chichester Singers combine musically in isolation for beautiful video

Lockdown Laughs 4 Parents switches online for comedy in your own home

Why walking is what we all need at the moment - especially in glorious Sussex

Shakespeare’s Globe makes productions available to watch for free during lockdown

How you can still enjoy Sussex delights... from the safety of your armchair

Up close but safe: enjoy collections online at Royal Pavilion & Museums in Brighton

Chichester orchestra records its own lockdown song

Coronavirus: top ten tips for boredom-busting during quarantine

Singer and pianist Joe Stilgoe live-streams daily message of hope during the coronavirus crisis

Music "more important than ever" in our time of crisis, urges West Sussex Music

Coronavirus: live streaming for Sunday morning services at Chichester Cathedral

Coronavirus: Festival of Chichester 2020 cancelled

*************

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.

Gary Shipton

Editorial Director