AN ICU nurse has released a song about her time working in a Middlesbrough hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mika Mamon, from Saltburn works at James Cook Hospital, she has released a single called 'Stand Together Apart' which calls on her experiences when she worked in the ICU during the last few months.

Mika said: "We were all called in to help out when the pandemic started."

Previously Mika worked on a surgical ward, which she has now returned to.

"The song is all about frontliners," she said, "their feelings, hopes, we come to work every day, always with the fear of contracting the virus, the fear of bringing it home."

Mika lives with her 18-year-old son Jericco, who is a music student in Middlesbrough.

Mika had to self-isolate for 14 days, as she had symptoms.

"That was the time when I wrote the song - after that I still went back to work, I was there [on the ICU] for 12 weeks," Mika said.

Mika's musical journey began with acoustic duos and she was the lead vocalist of the band Section 20 and The Mixed Vibes.

She is also one half of the electro/acoustic duo, Pearl Butterflies.

The song, Stand Together Apart came from lyrics she wrote amidst self-isolation after presenting some Covid-like symptoms.

The song came to life with the help of her partner, Daniel Hunt who structured the melody and created the soundscape with production from the Carl Pemberton of the North East duo, Journey South.

Eugene Nerpiol plays piano/keyboards, Danny Wood - guitar/ukulele/electronic drums, Mark Harrington - guitar, Romeo Mamon JR. - bass and Grzegorz Garnys - drums/percussion on the song.

Mika said: "The song itself is not just about frontliners but how grateful we are for the support of the public. People who say it's just a clap on a Thursday - these people don't know that as a frontliner that means a lot to us."

"It was hard - physically, mentally and emotionally. Seeing patients well and then in a split second they go unwell.

"Holding the tablets for their family to see them was emotional. Some of the patients that got worse - we had to speak to their family it was emotional and sad - it was very hard for all of us.

"The demands of wearing full PPE was a struggle for us. It was physically hard to breathe, you have to go out every two hours, but sometimes you can't go out every two hours - we do 13 hour shifts."

The song is available to download on all streaming services.