HEALTHCARE workers who served on the front-line during the Covid-19 pandemic are to be granted the Freedom of the City at a special musical event in Belfast tomorrow.
Belfast City Council agreed to honour healthcare staff back at the height of the pandemic's first wave in May 2020, and tomorrow evening the Freedom of Belfast will be granted during a ceremony at the Waterfront Hall.
Entitled The Belfast Mixtape – Songs from Lockdown, it will see over 1,800 health trust, community and voluntary workers attend to hear performances from musical acts including Foy Vance and the Ulster Orchestra, while the gathering will also feature "personal reflections" from those who held the line as Covid saw local healthcare in the city overwhelmed.
Organised alongside BBC NI and the Open Arts organisation, the evening's performances will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle on Friday evening, before being televised by the BBC later in the autumn.
Healthcare workers invited to attend were asked to nominate songs that helped them through the toughest times of the pandemic, and organisers say the tunes will be "incorporated into the event setlist to create a mixtape of sounds, both upbeat and reflective".
Among songs chosen to be featured are a remix of Orbital dance classic 'Belfast' by David Holmes, which will be performed live by the Ulster Orchestra.
Belfast lord mayor Tina Black said: "This is a unique Freedom of the City, which looks back at efforts of those workers who put their own concerns to one side to help care for others during very difficult days for our city.
"It’s a chance for all of us to say thanks to those staff for their selfless courage and compassion, a message which will be especially poignant for those personally impacted by loss during the pandemic, and those whose lives have been changed.
"In asking frontline workers how they wanted to mark their Freedom award, music was a common theme – in particular, the value that an uplifting song or reflective piece of music can have in really difficult times.
"The Belfast Mixtape – Songs from Lockdown has taken inspiration from that feedback, and will use music and song to showcase personal stories and provide a chance to reflect and remember, while also demonstrating the spirit of resilience evident in all those who share in this Freedom of the City honour."
