A Co Tyrone ambulance worker has spoken about the "uplifting" feeling of attending and performing at a Freedom of the City concert in Belfast this week.
Roddy Lynch, from Strabane, works for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, and is part of the musical group "Band 5&6" made up of ambulance workers across NI.
On Thursday, August 25, the band had the "incredible" experience of performing a 45 minute set as people were being seated at a concert organised to recognise the recognition of healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Read more: Co Tyrone ambulance worker pens tribute song to frontline heroes
Over 1,800 key workers attended The Belfast Mixtape - Songs from Lockdown, an evening of personal reflections and unique musical performances.
At the event, ICU nurse Lyndsey Adamson, who served as Lead Nurse for the former Nightingale Hospital, received the Freedom of the City on behalf of all those attending.
"We got some lovely comments and the crowd were cheering, clapping, and singing along. It was absolutely brilliant," Roddy told Belfast Live.
"We were really pleased we could perform our single called 'Make it Count' which I wrote a few years ago about the work we do in the ambulance service.
"It really was an uplifting event and an uplifting experience. Everyone there has been working through the pandemic, whatever experience they had whether it's ambulance staff, nursing, doctors, and even other key workers like bus drivers, delivery people, and community pharmacists. All those people who kept the machine running during the pandemic."
Roddy said that although pressures on the health service remain after the pandemic, it was great to have an evening to take stock alongside colleagues.
"We all walked out of there on air," he added. "The pressure hasn't stopped on the ambulance service and the health service in general.
"Due to those pressures, we don't have time to stop and congratulate each other and say what a great job others have been doing, as the pressure hasn't gone away. So to be able to stop and sit there and relax, it was just lovely.
"When it comes to appreciation, it takes very little; even someone just patting you on the back or saying well done at any stage makes you think it's worthwhile doing the job."
You can check out Band 5 & 6's single 'Make It Count' on Spotify HERE.
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