2023 SHAPING UP WELL FOR TOGETHER FOR CINEMA

It is always a pleasure to hear about the work that Together For Cinema (TFC) does and this month we are pleased to report that 2023 is shaping up well, that installations for the remainder of the year are progressing and that the organisation is not only working on projects for children’s hospices, but in other equally important places that support children and their families.

The first of these is a cinema room installation that was completed by Nethaus earlier this month at Cherry Trees in East Clandon, Surrey, a charity providing exceptional home-from-home, specialist short-break respite visits for children and young adults aged 0-19 with a range of complex disabilities including learning, physical and sensory impairments. Founded in 1980 by a group of parents and doctors, Cherry Trees is a lifeline for the families of more than 100 children and young people who are regularly cared for there, whether that is after school for a few hours, a weekend or a longer stay.

The second is for London charity Resources for Autism, which provides practical services for children and adults with a diagnosis of autism, and for those who love and care for them. Due to start at the end of May, it is being installed by Smart Living Solutions.

The summer months will see Jooced start work on a project at Acorns Children’s Hospice in Walsall, West Midlands, followed by an installation from Ideaworks at We Are Beams in Hextable, Kent which provides comprehensive support services to children and young people with any form of physical, learning or sensory impairment living in Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks and the surrounding areas.

Exclusive Solutions and Majik House are currently finalising designs for a cinema room at Hope House Children’s Hospices in Oswestry, Shropshire and The Space Centre, Preston, Lancashire, whose mission is ‘To provide a place where those with physical, learning or emotional difficulties may more easily acquire skills and enjoy experiences usually denied to them.’

Together For Cinema is also extending its usual remit of working with organisations that cater for children to the Marie Curie Adult Hospice in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, where Art of Smart is undertaking the design and installation of a cinema room for this well-known and respected charity.

“2024 seems a long way away, but, with the network of children’s hospice and others deserving venues we have, I can confidently say that 2024 will be another busy year,” says Ian Morrish, TFC Founder. “We’re expecting to work on another six or seven cinema room installations during the year. It’s impossible for us to know of all the deserving venues in the UK that could use our help, so we’re always grateful when people tell us about them.”

Currently, TFC has 68 companies putting forward charitable grants. They vary in amount, but every one is much appreciated and are vital to help in TFC’s day-to-day running, and of course the long-term security, of the organisation and the difference that it makes.

The latest of these is technology giant Meta, which has enrolled TFC as an Official Partner to channel its AV equipment to good causes. “With so much AV equipment being open to re-purposing, we are delighted that Meta sees a future with TFC,” Ian notes. “Currently we are only placing a handful of products, but this will increase towards the end of 2024 when our Repurposing Programme will develop further.”

As well as charitable grants, intrepid fund raisers take on challenges in support of the TFC cause, and this summer sees two cycling challenges being undertaken, one by an experienced cycling duo, the other is by two keen amateur cyclists, one of whom is Ian himself.

On Friday 23 June industry personality Tom Dellicompagni and his friend Jim Carter will cycle 1,000 miles over nine days. Leaving from the Red Bull F1 Factory in Milton Keynes, they will ride to the Red Bull Ring racing track in Austria, arriving on Saturday 1 July. If you would like to support this incredible challenge, you can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/teamride2

Sunday 10 September will see Matt McLernon from LILIN, one of TFC’s Charitable Partners, and Ian ride the 55 miles from London to Brighton. “We will do this unaided, with no safety net and just pure manpower, grit, and good old British spirit and determination,” says Ian. “We’ll also have 16,000 other riders encouraging us! I suspect Matt will pip me to the post, but I’ll definitely see him at the finish line!”

All fundraising activity is much needed and hugely appreciated. The funding is important, but knowing so many people are behind the cause is equally so. “We are so grateful to all those that have, are or will fundraise for us,” Ian concludes. “Whether it’s running marathons or riding across continents, we applaud you.”