Louise Jordan releases album tribute to Florence Nightingale

The performer, who lives in Fordingbridge but previously lived in Salisbury, had been due to go on tour with a one-woman production, which has had to rescheduled. But, instead will release a nine-track album of songs from the show on May 12, which was recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown in her home studio.

Louise, a former Godolphin School pupil, said: “The songs on this album were due to be performed as part of a live piece of theatre in May to celebrate Florence Nightingale’s lesser known achievements. I feel fortunate to be have found an alternative way to share the songs, particularly because Florence’s work has taken on a new relevance during the Covid-19 outbreak. I think the project has taken on a new meaning for me in relation to this new reality.”

This album brings Florence’s story to life, exploring her work as a pioneering statistician and social campaigner and shining a light on lesser known aspects of ‘the Lady with the Lamp’. Florence Nightingale was a campaigner and reformer whose innovative use of statistics called for government accountability and equal access to healthcare for all. In exploring less remembered parts of Florence’s life and work, Louise questions why this remarkable woman and her many achievements are so often overlooked.

Louise said: “There are so many ways that Florence Nightingale’s life and legacy remains relevant today. The frustration that initially caused me to write ‘Florence’ was finding out how Florence is taught in school. As a former history teacher myself, I was angry to find out that Florence is remembered for her two year’s service as a nurse during the Crimean War and that her work over decades as a pioneering statistician, campaigner and social reformer is often overlooked. I wanted to shed light on Florence’s contributions to healthcare more generally and also to question how we remember people from the past. Who decided how history is written and shared? How can we challenge this?”

Florence Nightingale spent less than two years as a nurse during the Crimean War, yet she lived to the age of ninety. She spent decades campaigning for social reform and became an expert in wide ranging areas from hospital design to land irrigation in order to advance her causes

Go to louisejordan.co.uk

Louise is going to be featured as Artist of the Week in Wiltshire Creative Connects online programme, which will include performances of extracts from Florence. Visit wiltshirecreative.co.uk