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Manchester's Lottery Winners have taken time to lift the spirits of fellow musicians and creatives with a direct Rishi Sunak comeback: 'Open Letter to Creatives: Remain, Don't Retrain'. A moving piece, the track gets its official release next week.

Initially shared at the beginning of the month as a response to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak's suggestion that those working in the arts should look at retraining, the spoken word piece is a tender, rallying motivational speech about mental health, the importance of art, and sticking with it through the hard times.

"Don't stop creating, don't stop painting, don't stop writing, don't stop dancing, don't stop designing, don't stop playing, don't work in cyber and don't let the bastards grind you down" songwriter Thom Rylance says in the song.

On the track, Rylance said: “I was having a real down day in the light of everything that’s happening in the world and in my industry. I have seen friends lose all hope with their lifelong dreams and I was getting close. So I started writing myself a letter, one that I needed to read. It helped me, so I thought if I shared it, it might help somebody else. Remain, don’t retrain.”

'Remain, Don't Retrain' arrives in an official capacity next week .

More about: Lottery Winners