Local News

‘Songs For The Road’ will help fulfil husband’s promise to wife

24/04/2024

David Barrett’s wife Susan asked him to fix Katharine House’s entrance road

A concert this Saturday evening will help a Kings Sutton man take a step towards fulfilling one of the requests made of him by his wife before she passed away last August.

David Barrett’s wife Susan had received treatment at the Katharine House Hospice and she spent her final days there. Amongst the final instructions Susan gave David was a request that he use his skills as a structural engineer to organise repairs to the Hospice’s entrance road.

David said: “We travelled in two or three times a week and the access road is potholed – not deep potholes – but she was in such excruciating pain that the slightest jarring hurt her very much indeed.

“Later on she was taken in permanently to try and stabilise the situation. The pain was stabilised, but we knew she was dying. In her dying moments, she said all sorts of things – instructions about the funeral and things like that.

“But she also said, ‘look, I know you can do it – sort that road out for the Hospice and look after the people there’. I’m just fulfilling a promise really.”

Repairs to the Hospice entrance road will require a temporary road and bridge over the stream to be created before the main work can begin. The project will include replacing the wooden bridge railings with steel alternatives and improvements to the drainage, as well as resurfacing work.

The job is fairly small for David, who’s first job was working on the M6 motorway back in 1962. Funding it is another matter – he estimates costs of around £30,000.

This weekend’s concert has been titled “Songs for the Road” and was inspired by David and Susan’s love of music.

David said: “I sing, Susan used to play the piano and my brother is a trained opera singer, so singing and music was in our blood. Susan used to say ‘if David is singing or if he’s building something, he’s happy’. So the two things came together – songs and building: ‘Songs for the Road’ – it was just an inspiration.”

The concert will feature the Kings Sutton Community Choir, saxophonist Lucy Blackburn from North Oxfordshire College and David’s brother – a professional opera singer – will be coming out of retirement for the night.

David himself will perform two duets with a member of the Hospice team, Helen LaleyeHe. The first will be Somewhere from a West Side Story, which was one of David and Susan’s favourite musicals.

David said: “If you study the words – ‘there’s a place for us’ – it’s just what Katharine house does.”

The second duet from Carousel will lead to a highly emotional moment as the audience and choir are invited to join in with singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

By the end of May David hopes to have around £10,000 towards the project and will then turn his attention to the many offers of help he has already received.

Saturday’s concert starts at 6pm and just a small number of tickets remain. Anyone wishing to be there can call David on 07702 252255.

Listen again to our interview with David here: