KT Tunstall releases charity cover in support of Edinburgh neonatal unit Simpsons Special Care Babies

Scots chart topper KT Tunstall has released a cover of the song Teddy Bears’ Picnic to support Simpsons Special Care Babies (SSCB) after their annual picnic fundraiser was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Scots singer recorded the single for people to sing along to to raise money

Instead of their usual teddy bears’ picnic fundraiser, this year the charity launched Sing a Song for Simpsons, a fundraising campaign encouraging children and their families to sing a song and share it with loved ones in turn for sponsorships and donations.

SSCB is the official charity that supports the neonatal unit at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as part of their £300,000 campaign to enhance facilities for families who need to stay close to their babies when they need this care.

KT Tunstall said: “I was delighted to take part in Sing a Song for Simpsons. It’s a fantastic way to get children singing, spread the joy of music and raise money for a fantastic cause. I hope it will encourage other families to join in.”

Simpsons trustees, Gemma and David Springford considered the unit their home when their twin boys came 10 weeks early.

Gemma said: “We were disappointed that our annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic fundraising event was cancelled. It’s such a fun occasion for our supporters and of course, a source of much needed funds too. So, we needed to make our new campaign a big success.

“We hope that everyone will enjoy KT’s version of Teddy Bears’ picnic as much as we do and it will encourage families to join in and have fun whilst providing an alternative source of fundraising to our usual events and all for a fantastic cause!”

The social media campaign officially launched on Friday and will run throughout the summer.

Trustee Jessica Wilson had the idea for the whole campaign after her son Charlie, who spent time at the neonatal unit four years ago, raised nearly £1,500 by singing a song and sharing it on social media every day for 26 days.

She added: “Charities in the UK, particularly small ones, have been hit very hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to find a way to say thank you to Simpsons at a time when smaller charities are struggling to raise the usual level of funds, providing some fun for our family and friends who we are separated from at the moment. They enjoyed it so much, they were only too happy to donate.”

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The funds raised will support a number of important projects such as funding the family facilities and vCreate, a new secure video and messaging system to keep families connected with their baby in the unit during this difficult time.