NHS staff have created a heartwarming Christmas video complete with dancing elves and flashing ambulance lights in an effort to spread a bit of seasonal joy. And it's safe to say we can all feel that Christmas spirit.
The festive music video features the paramedics twirling and jiving around their ambulance station to the tune of "Merry Christmas Everyone".
At a time of year when they are often called to deal with “tragic circumstances," staff at Worthing Ambulance Station came together to have a bit of fun and put a smile on people's faces.
Jodie Gough, an emergency care support worker at the West Sussex station, came up with the idea with her paramedic colleague David Sneddon-Plumb.
“It's not often we get a lot of joy at the ambulance station, and especially at this time of year we can go to a lot of tragic circumstances," Gough said to PA. “It's a very demanding job, it's very tiring, it's very emotional, especially coming towards Christmas as well."
“It was just done to spread a bit of festive cheer."
Everyone from paramedics and medical staff to “make ready" workers got involved, recording bits of video in their lunch breaks that were then stitched together.
Many are dressed up in elf costumes or wearing tinsel over their work scrubs.
Gough said her favorite moment in the video is where she is pushing Sneddon-Plumb across the ambulance depot on a stretcher while he does leg kicks to the music.
“We are in uniform that can be quite intimidating to some people but we are just real people that enjoy a laugh as much as everyone and I hope that people feel that they can approach us if they need to," she added. “It was lovely, I was really surprised at how many people wanted to get involved."
The internet loved the video.
Even some retired paramedics wanted to join in on the fun.
The music video has already proven to be a hit and has drawn attention from other ambulance stations across the country who are keen to take on their West Sussex colleagues next year.
Worthing Ambulance Station is run by the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.
“We are really supportive of the video," a spokesman for the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) said. “It's a great video put together by our Worthing staff. Christmas is a busy time of year for the ambulance service and the video clearly represents the camaraderie which always exists but which is especially valuable at this time of year."
