Bi-Monthly Update - May 2022
The last two months have been hectic, and hence this bi-monthly report is a little later than it should be – apologies…
Since our last report we have opened two new cinema rooms, committed to two further cinema room installations, refurbished two previously installed cinema rooms, seen the Cisco partnership pilot scheme take off, attended the much-awaited ISE show, gathered lots of products, posted lots of social media and lots more… Time to take a breath and put this all down in our delayed bi-monthly a report!
ISE was a great success for Together For Cinema and we had over 25 hugely positive meetings. The general feeling out there is one of unquestioned support for Together For Cinema and I feel very privileged to be in this position with such positive support and backing.
We made it onto the BBC! Our Rainbows Children’s Hospice cinema room installation in Loughborough, as installed by Gary Mills and his team at Decorum Technology, was covered by BBC East Midlands and you can view the clip at:-
Having posted this on LinkedIn I’m delighted to say that we had over 4,500 views, over 50 comments and about 25 shares. The power of social media really is quite staggering…
The amazing efforts of Chris Pinder from HDANYWHERE have to be mentioned again and he has now raised a magnificent £46,560 for Together For Cinema. Thank you to Chris, but also to all involved with Team Pinder, and of course to all those that kindly donated and backed his incredible efforts in the Sahara Desert. Please see page 7 for more detail of his amazing challenge.
Watch this space for news of another crazy challenge that we’re discussing with another member of our fabulous industry.
Keep well, and please read on...
Ian Morrish
Founder and CEO, Together For Cinema
Installation Update 2022
At the start of the year we had an ambitious 7 cinema room installations planned, and we are on target to deliver these.
By the end 2022 we will have taken our installation tally to 36 rooms at a normal installation value in excess of £850,000. Please see below for a full status update:-
The 7 venues, along with the committed installers, are as follows:-
- Jigsaw Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice, Carlisle. Installer: Tim Burrow of Majik House. Completed March 2022. (pictured below)
- Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, Loughborough. Installer: Gary Mills of Decorum Technology. Completed April 2022. (Pictured below)
- Andy’s at St.Andrew’s Hospice, Grimsby. Installer: Ben Cook of Sonic Vision. Install date: June/July 2022
- Julia’s House Children’s Hospice, Corfe Mullen, near Poole. Installer: Luke Crutcher of Living Home Tech. Install date: June/July 2022
- Dougie Mac Children’s Hospice, Stoke-on-Trent. Installer: Andy Bell of Trusted Technology. Install date: July 2022
- Dorset Children’s Foundation Installer: Luke Crutcher of Living Home Tech. Install date: September 2022
- St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice, Newcastle upon Tyne. Installer: Gary Chapman of Creative Install. Install date: October 2022
Installation Update 2023 and Beyond
For 2023 we currently have 7 installations in discussion and these are outlined below. As with all plans we have to be subject to change and already there has been some swapping about so the list below is of course subject to change! The installs are as follows:-
- Claire House Children’s Hospice, Liverpool. Installer: TBC.
- Derian House Children’s Hospice, Chorley. Installer: TBC.
- Ellenor Hospice for Children and Adults , Gravesend. Installer: TBC.
- Hope House Children's Hospices, Ty Gobaith. Installer: TBC.
- Resources for Autism, London. Installer: TBC.
- Richard House Children’s Hospice, London. Installer: TBC.
- Robin House Children’s Hospice, Ballach. Installer: TBC.
…and for the moment, this will be the basis of our delivery for 2023.
With another 7 installations we will need another 7 installers and 7 more projectors, screens, AVR’s, speaker packages, racks, control, lighting etc…, so please do what you can to help and spread the word to those installers, manufacturers and distributors who also might be able to help.
We are grateful to so many of you who support the Together For Cinema cause but we need this help to be an annual commitment in order to keep making these very special cinema rooms happen.
Please do what you can...
Sponsorship Update
Together For Cinema now has 45 industry sponsors at varying levels of commitment. All of these sponsors can be seen on our website at https://togetherforcinema.co.uk/our-sponsors-and-partners/, along with all the other partners, companies and individuals that help make Together For Cinema happen. A big thank you to you all, not only from me but also those that benefit from our good work, but also our industry as a whole. This really is becoming a collaborative effort and one that is generating great support.
As strong as support appears to be, we still need another four or five sponsors to achieve our minimum operational budgeted for 2022. The sooner we can secure these sponsors, the sooner we can focus 100% on completing the installations and developing our other activities to further the difference that we can all make in our community. With this in mind…
Can You Become One Of Our Sponsors?
If you are interested in becoming one of the Together For Cinema sponsors, you can do so from as little as £500. Every penny of support will be committed to furthering the cause and making a difference to the children and young adults that we look to help.
You will receive a Together For Cinema sponsor pack and some social and trade media exposure, not than anyone ever donates for any specific return, but it helps us to publicise those that do.
For further details please email me at ian@ad-con.uk or call me on 07768 398007.
Please do what you can to help…
Fundraising Update
Chris Pinder of HDANYWHERE completes the Marathon des Sables and raises over £46,000 for Together For Cinema! (yes, you read it correctly…, over £46,000! What an incredible effort!)
Over 6 days, from March 27th to April 1st, Chris Pinder, Managing Director of HDANYWHERE, ran the equivalent of a marathon a day in the Sahara desert in temperatures approaching 50 degrees centigrade – and all to help raise Funds for Together For Cinema. He finished 158th out of almost 1,100 competitors and I’m not ashamed to say that we both had tears in our eyes when he finished. An incredible journey for Chris, but also for all who were part of ‘Team Pinder’. These funds will give further security to Together For Cinema and will enable us to give more back to our community.
A monumental effort and one that has been embraced so positively by our industry.
Comprehensive support for Chris’s efforts, along with widespread exposure for Together For Cinema, has made this a truly memorable journey and I know we all applaud his efforts.
Thank you again Chris…
Another ‘Wacky Racer’ To Be Announced Very Soon!
As a result of Chris’s efforts lots of people have a changed perspective on ‘making a difference’. I have had many positive conversations with industry colleagues about this. One such conversation has led to another industry stalwart and all-round Nice guy committing to a 1,400km challenge early next year. More news to follow…
Other events are still being discussed and we will update you on these as and when we can.
Recent Developments
Listed below are a few of the other positive recent developments that we’re delighted to report on:-
Cisco Partners with Together For Short Lives and Together For Cinema
Over the past 4-5 months we have been working with both Cisco and Together For Short Lives to launch a pro bono consultancy programme for all of the 54 children’s hospices in the UK. The pilot scheme has just been launched and Cisco will offer IT consultancy and assistance with WebEx conferencing to the together For Short Live Head office in Bristol, as well as to four of the Children’s Hospices in the UK. All Cisco time, advice and products will be donated, and the pilot scheme will lead quickly into a more structured and comprehensive programme.
Service Calls and Refurbishments
Recently we have replaced the screen at The Bluebells in Hampshire, and we thank KNEKTD and Projecta for their help in making this happen. We have also recently worked with Digital Interiors in Gloucester to help get the Kites Corner (part of The James Hopkins Trust) cinema room back up and running and we are grateful to OneAV for donating the kit to enable this.
Soon we will be working with Modus Vivendi to update the Demelza Children’s Hospice cinema room with new control and a new projector
Bi-Monthly Updates Soon To Be Also Circulated As Video Updates
Thanks to the generosity of Redline Distribution our future bi-monthly updates will also be distributed in video format.
Redline have very kindly offered their studio for our use and the final videos will be posted on both LinkedIn and Facebook. Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ – if you’re happy to!!
In Closing
A hugely busy last few weeks, but a hugely encouraging last few weeks.
ISE was a tremendously successful event for Together For Cinema and the industry is clearly hugely behind the difference that we’re making.
Whilst there I was lucky enough to have about an hour with Daryl Friedman, their new Global President and CEO. We met on the CEDIA stand and had an interesting conversation. It really was a pleasure to meet him.
The way that the industry has come together to support Together For Cinema is wonderful. There’s no competition, no egos, no financial drive etc…, it is simply a collaborative desire to give back what we take for granted on a day-to-day basis to help make a difference.
Installers always say that their involvement with a Together For Cinema installation is a very special experience and a highlight of their installation career. As mentioned before, there is no competition, no egos and no financial drive. The drive is quite simply the desire to give back and make a difference in our community.
Lots more is happening and feel free to touch base if you have any queries.
We thank you again for your support and remember…