A HOSPITAL choir has recorded a new version of a classic song to help raise funds for a lifesaving Barrhead project.

Around 25 staff from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children, both in Glasgow, sang in their bedrooms to contribute to a moving version of It Must Be Love.

The choir is raising cash to pay for defibrillators to be installed in East Renfrewshire through the Levern Valley Defibrillator Community Partnership (LVDCP).

Senior nurse Jean Hepburn, who is from Barrhead and a member of the choir, trains local people in the use of the medical devices, which can revive someone after a cardiac arrest.

The LVDCP, set up in 2018, has already provided 18 defibrillators in Barrhead, four in Neilston and one in Uplawmoor.

These are based on buildings and public spaces to give operators quick and easy access.

It Must Be Love was originally recorded in 1971 by Labi Siffre but the choir’s version is performed in the style of the better-known 1981 hit by Madness.

The hospital singers are also hoping their virtual production will raise funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Each member submitted their recording to volunteer music director Martin Kelly, who then cut the videos and audio together to create the final product.

Hospital chaplain Jim Meighan, who founded the choir, said: “The British Heart Foundation and the Levern Valley Defibrillator Community Partnership both do fantastic work to help save lives and promote healthy living.

Douglas Yates, LVDCP chairman, described the choir’s support as “magnificent.”

He said: "A new defibrillator costs £1,500 and £200 each year to maintain and every penny donated is put to good use.”

People can donate to the LVDCP through its JustGiving page in memory of former treasurer Chris Hughes.