May and June have again been very busy and very productive. There’s been lots of preparation for this year’s seven good cause cinema room installations, three industry events, we’re starting to organize a dinner for 300 people and there is still some shaping of the business to be done since we became a Community Interest Company.
A lot of this work will fuel the next 8-10 months which are going to continue to be very busy. The good news is that there are lots of good things happening and our industry is making a very real and a very valuable difference in our community. There are now four Together For Cinema directors, but I’m the only full time person, so I may be seeking some help with the dinner and/or some other plans.
The CEDIA Summit in Leeds (May 24th), The Invision ‘Committed to Cinema’ Event (June 13/14) and the Pulse-Eight Partner Day (July 5th) were all excellent events and very positive for Together For Cinema. Thanks to all of you for being so willing to show your support and to help nurture our journey.
There have been lots of very positive meetings with potential future installation venues, not least with one of the directors at Ronald McDonald House Charities. They have 14 accommodation locations in the UK, and all are located close to children’s hospitals allowing the child’s family to be close at hand and not to have to worry about the financial pressure of their length of stay. This has proven to be a great support for the child of course, but also for their family and the care team alike.
With so much support being shown we now have a dedicated section on our website for Fundraising activity, and we are grateful to Tom Dellicompagni and Jim Carter for their recent efforts on their epic 1,000-mile Ride2 Austria challenge. We’ve also introduced a section on the £1million Celebration Dinner that we’re planning on May 16th, 2024. This will be a great night and will bring together 300 people who have helped make these £1m worth of installations happen. Onwards and upwards to the next million!
Ian Morrish
Founder, Together For Cinema
Our seven installations for 2023 are well under way with one completed, another very nearly, two about to start and three scheduled to start in Autumn. The current status is as follows:-
We are hugely grateful to the installers listed above for kindly taking on these installations and I am sure that they will find their journey to making a difference is a rewarding one.
As 2024 looms ever nearer it is important for us to have as clear a picture as we can of what venues we will be working with next year. The list below is ever changing but I suspect we will work with six or seven of the venues listed below. We are already in touch with these venues and there are others that are hoping that we can work with them.
Please see below for a current status update:-
As you’ll no doubt appreciate it’s impossible for us to know of all the deserving venues in the UK that could use our help. With this in mind, if you know of anywhere that could benefit from our offering, please do let me know.
With Ivory Egg recently committing to a Bronze Level Charitable Partnership, Together For Cinema now has 71 companies putting forward charitable grants. These grants vary in amount but every one is much appreciated and all are vital to aide the day to day running of, and the long-term security of, Together For Cinema, and the difference that we’re able to make.
This level of support from our industry shows how much Together For Cinema is valued by the industry and how much the difference we’re making in our community is appreciated and acknowledged.
However, with ever increasing costs, and now being a formalised Community Interest Company, we can always do with more financial assistance. With Companies House governance and certain legal obligations, all funding raised is secure and protected.
With this in mind, it would really help if we were able to secure a couple more sponsors at each of the Bronze (£500), Silver (£1,000) and Gold (£2,500) levels. Would you be interested in becoming one of our valued Charitable Partners?
Further detail can be found on our website or alternatively please contact Ian Morrish at ian@ad-con.uk to discuss what options are open to you and what difference you can help make.
Together For Cinema, and the difference we make to so many lives, can only continue with your support…
One down, one to go…! I’m pleased to report that the first of this year’s two fundraisers for Together For Cinema has just been completed, and you can read the brief report below. Our second is still in the planning stage but is set for Sunday September 10th. Updates as follows:-
All fundraising is vital to our long-term security and of course helps with exposure of the difference we’re making.
It’s anticipated that in September of this year Together For Cinema will go past the £1 million estimated value of good cause installations in the UK. This will equate to 41 cinema rooms, mainly in children’s hospices, but several have been installed in respite care and disabled care centres.
To celebrate this, we are holding a dinner for 300 members of the AV industry who have played a part in making this happen. This dinner will be held on Thursday May 16th, 2024 at Epsom Downs Racecourse and currently, as we have limited tickets, we are only able to invite our official Partners as highlighted on our website.
Listed below are a few other updates that might be of interest:-
Industry Events
The CEDIA Summit in Leeds (May 24th), The Invision ‘Committed to Cinema’ Event (June 13/14) and the Pulse-Eight Partner Day (July 5th) were all excellent events and very positive for Together For Cinema. Thanks to all of you for being so willing to show your support and to help nurture our journey.
Meta Deliver On First Re-Purposed Product To Acorns Children’s Hospice
Following Meta taking on Together For Cinema as a partner to channel their AV equipment to good causes I am delighted to confirm that Acorns Children’s Hospice in Worcester have recently received a 90” NEC screen for use in their main reception. This is an exciting partnership and one that clearly identifies the desire for large corporates to repurpose unwanted AV equipment.
Gasoline Media – Update On Teresa Latter
As I have mentioned in my previous reports, Gasoline Media have very kindly agreed to take on our PR and Social Media activity, and they have made a really positive difference over the past six months. I am so grateful to Sarah James and Teresa Latter for all their hard work in raising the profile of, and the quality of reporting of, Together For Cinema.
Some of you may be aware that the Teresa has been poorly for some weeks now. A long stay in hospital now sees her in better shape and hopefully looking forward to getting home very soon. Teresa is well known in the industry and very much loved, and I know that we all wish her well in her journey back to better health.
A comprehensive update so not too much to say ‘In Closing’, however, I would like to thank again all Charitable Partners, Operational Partners, Media Partners, Installation Partners, Fundraisers and of course all product donors for your help in making Together For Cinema happen. So many of you do so much more than simply donate.
We have so many offers of support and myself and the other directors are grateful of this, even if we’re unable to take advantage of all these kind offers. It’s great to know that what we’re doing is well received and has captured the industry’s imagination and moved many to look to get involved.
To anyone thinking about getting involved please don’t keep thinking about it, as somebody else once said …, ‘just do it’, I have no doubt you’ll be pleased you did…
I wish you well and hope that our industry continues to thrive through these difficult times.
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