A song, written by young adults with life-limiting conditions and performed by the members of two Mountbatten groups, has been released this morning (Tuesday).

The hospice charity says One Day Soon is a song of hope, expressing the isolation experienced during the pandemic and the growing optimism of return to normal life.

Scroll down to watch...

Written by young adults who, before lockdown, gathered weekly at Mountbatten Isle of Wight, it has been described as 'a song of joy and hope', 'such fun' and 'a much-needed boost'.

Since the first lockdown, exactly one year ago, members have continued to meet online with the hospice’s music therapist.

Fraser Simpson works at Mountbatten, through a partnership with national music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins.

The Mountbatten Isle of Wight choir, also run by Fraser, has continued to meet weekly online through the pandemic, along with members of a choir from sister organisation, Mountbatten Hampshire.

Fraser Simpson said: "There are challenges to music-making online, but group song-writing is something that can work well, with everyone contributing ideas.

"Channelling personal feelings into something creative is a great thing to do when things are tough, giving a sense of something good coming out of it all."

Kate Newitt, who can be seen in the opening sequence of the song, said: "For anyone living with a disease or disability, coronavirus has been another hurdle in life to conquer, but this time we were all in it together.

"We started many new indoor projects during lockdown but what I looked forward to so much was the Wednesday groups on Zoom.

"It was lovely to have the human interaction and meant we felt less isolated and still like a team. When hearing that restrictions would start to be eased, we all thought it would be a perfect time to write a song, representing hope.

"It was great teamwork as we could all connect together and understand each other’s feelings. We hope you all enjoy the catchy lyrics as much as we did creating them!”

Fraser said: "The online choir has been a great way to enable our members to stay connected over the past year.

"We had a cracking time recording the song, I think it brought quite a few of us out of our comfort zones and got us learning some new skills with technology, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

"I’m very grateful to film maker Chris Waitt who generously offered his time and professional expertise to help us bring the video and the song together."

"Like a beacon of light"

Nigel Hartley, CEO of Mountbatten, said: “With the gradual easing of lockdown we have all got hope in our hearts. 

"The pandemic has been tough for everyone, especially for those who live with an illness. 

"One Day Soon is like a beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel and gives me a sense of better days to come. 

"It’s a fantastic effort by the choir members hailing from both sides of the Solent and it makes me ‘proud to be Mountbatten’."