Midwives leave a mark at 2021 Brit Awards

By Lydia O'Neill Awards Maternity Services Covid-19

The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir joined Rag’n’Bone Man and P!nk to close the Brit Awards ceremony last night with a performance of their charity single Anywhere Away From Here. All the money raised from the single will go to Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and NHS Charities Together, who represent the charities of all NHS Trusts in the UK.

Midwife Lizzy Farrant joined Mishal Husian on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme this morning to tell us what it was like performing with the artists on stage. She said: “I can’t even describe really. It was a privilege to be asked, to be there at such a monumental occasion where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as live music is concerned. And to be there in front of 4000 key workers, its indescribable.”

This year, the audience was made up of 4000 NHS frontline workers, including maternity staff from across the UK. Creative Codirector of the awards, Yinka Ilori, said “it was great to have people in the audience who I felt really deserved to be there”.

The crowd of maternity staff made their presence known when, during the ceremony, Jack Whitehall asked if there were any midwives who wanted to join Little Mix on tour, following the announcement that two of the members, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards, are expecting.

This year, Little Mix broke the record, becoming the first female act to win British Group. Accepting their award and making history was an empowering moment for the women and pregnant women watching.

Pay was also on the agenda at this year’s awards when Dua Lipa went up for her acceptance speech and called out Boris Johnson to give key workers a fair pay rise. She said: “There has been a massive disparity between gratitude and respect for frontline workers. It’s very good to clap for them but we need to pay them”.

This call contributes to the ongoing RCM Deliver a Decent Deal pay campaign and lobbying and further joint campaign With NHS Staff.