Sick children can’t get to the cinema. Now, an inspiring project is bringing it to them. Jane McGowan takes her seat...
For the past 16 years, a unique not-for-profit initiative has been quietly transforming lives through the magic of film.
Together for Cinema, founded in 2009 by Great Bookham resident Ian Morrish, brings professionally designed cinema rooms into children’s hospices and similar care settings across Surrey and beyond.
Established as a community interest company (CIC), Together for Cinema (TFC) works closely with the audiovisual (AV) industry and relies heavily on the goodwill of others, utilising the expertise of its supporters and the equipment they donate.
Its mission is simple: to create high-quality, immersive cinema spaces that can be enjoyed by children with life-limiting conditions, as well as their families, carers and support staff.
These rooms are not “luxuries”, insists Ian, but instead provide moments of “escapism, shared experience and emotional relief in environments that are often defined by medical care and stress”.
It was while watching The Secret Millionaire – a Channel 4 reality show in which millionaires go incognito into poor communities and give away large amounts of money – that Ian, an AV professional, became inspired to help the hospice movement.
Moved by the episode, which featured a Blackpool holiday home for children with short lives and their families, and eschewing the easy option of simply donating cash, he contacted the holiday home to ask how the AV industry could help.
Just over a year later, Ian and his team had created a cinema room in one of the log cabins donated to the home by the ‘secret millionaire’.
Since then, working with Together for Short Lives – a charity supporting children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions – TFC has delivered 58 such installations, including at the White Lodge Centre in Chertsey, Christopher’s in Guildford, and Cherry Trees at East Clandon nearby.
“It is very tough to see these places. After my first visit, I broke down and wept in my car,” Ian recalls. “Then you realise that they are actually very special places where every second is as sparkly as it can be.”
Since its inception, TFC has grown steadily in both scale and impact: it has so far delivered cinema technology and services worth over £1.5m.
White Lodge Centre
Installations are done free of charge, and the equipment is all donated, while each project is a collaborative effort. Integrators, manufacturers and installers give their time and resources for free.
The cinemas themselves are often multifunctional spaces. Designed primarily for screenings, they are also used for gaming, presentations, therapy and family gatherings: a flexibility that maximises their value by turning them into hubs of activity and connection.
“It has just grown,” reflects Ian. “We do sponsored events and family days and have now launched a new venture (givingback.tech) repurposing audiovisual kits, as so much of it just gets thrown away.
“You can’t really explain what a huge difference all this makes without seeing it. These children can’t just go to the cinema, so bringing it into their own safe space is a gift.”
To find out more about Together for Cinema visit: togetherforcinema.co.uk
