Musical rail workers find glory fundraising for NHS

A Southern train driver and two conductors from Eastbourne have beaten their target of raising £1,000 for NHS workers with a song they recorded at work during lockdown.

Harry McCormick on harmonica, Bernie Barnaville on guitar and Ricky Duggins on mandoline, rewrote an old gospel song “This Train Is Bound For Glory” and recorded it on the platform and concourse at Eastbourne station.

Their ‘producer’, conductor-manager Jamie Cleary, worked the cameraphone and then posted it with Southern’s help on YouTube for their JustGiving page. Today (17 June) the fundraising figure stands at £1,100.

Jamie said: “We’re over the moon to beat our target., raising valuable cash for frontline NHS key workers.”

Harry added: “As key workers ourselves, we wanted to praise the NHS staff and other key workers we’ve been taking to work all this time, to say thank you for all their hard work.

“Our lyrics celebrate the doctors and nurses along with key workers from retail staff, to teachers and the work my Southern colleagues are doing to keep trains clean and people moving.”

Angie Doll, Managing Director of Southern and Gatwick Express, said: "Harry, Bernie, Ricky and Jamie have done everyone so proud. They’re part of a huge team here at Southern who have continued working throughout lockdown to keep key workers moving. For them to then go away and do this to celebrate our passengers who have been on the frontline is simply amazing.”

You can view the video and further support the fundraising driver at http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harry-mccormicknhs

The lyrics to their song are shown abridged below:

This train is bound for glory, this train;
All aboard and lend a hand
For the NHS to free the land
This train is bound for glory this train.

This train will the keep people moving, this train
Retail staff who keep us fed, the NHS cause they’re the best
This train will keep the people moving, this train
All aboard and lend a hand
For the NHS to free the land
This train is bound for glory this train

This train will keep the kids learning, this train
Taking teachers to the schools, keep on teaching with basic tools
All aboard and lend a hand, for the NHS to free the land
This train is bound for glory this train

This train is cleaned right through, this train
This train is cleaned right through, cleaned right through by the Eastbourne crew
All aboard and lend a hand
For the NHS to free the land
This train is bound for glory this train
This train is bound for freedom, Key workers are more than welcome.

ends