Brass-playing Scottish NHS workers have formed a virtual band to raise spirits during the Coronavirus outbreak.

500 miles

Their online rendition of The Proclaimers' song 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' was the brainchild of Eilidh Houston who was inspired to do something after seeing Cory Band perform 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' on-line.

Eilidh, who is a student nurse in Ayrshire & Arran and plays trombone with Johnstone Band told 4BR: "We wanted to show our banding colleagues that the NHS is loud and proud during these trying times.

We're all missing playing with our respective bands and, for many of us, going to rehearsals was a release from the pressure jobs we do on a daily basis."

We wanted to show our banding colleagues that the NHS is loud and proud during these trying timesEilidh Houston

Multi-screen technology

After receiving their music and a recording of the tune, the volunteer players recorded themselves playing their parts and then sent them back to Eilidh who used her technical know-how to 'knit' a multi-image screen picture together.

Colleagues from NHS Ayrshire & Arran, Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Dumfries & Galloway took part in the online performance.

"We chose 500 Miles because it represented the lengths everyone in the NHS is going to beat this evil virus,"added Eilidh.

Catch the performance

You can see and hear the online NHS band on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1zZUtu_2lc