Apologies for not writing a bi-monthly update in September. With so much support and so much good news to report on I was always determined to make sure this was reported on a regular basis. However, with a death in my family, and a Mother needing daily support it became a job too far. Sometimes work has to take a back seat… I thank you all for your understanding and hope that this bumper update gets us back on track.
So, four months to report on, and unsurprisingly lots has happened. We’ve opened another three cinema rooms, one in London at Resources For Autism, one in Walsall at Acorns Children’s Hospice and the most recent at We Are Beams in Kent. Our thanks go to Smart Living Solutions, Jooced and Ideaworks, as well as all those who donated product, for making these rooms happen. Read on to see the latest update on our 2023 installations.
A magnificent cycling effort by ‘Team Lycra’ has helped raise over £2,500 for Together For Cinema and I’m ever grateful to Greg Stuttle (ex GJD, now retired) and Matt McLernon from LILIN for cradling my cycling journey from London to Brighton. ‘Never again’ I cried as I almost fell off my bike in Brighton…, then signed up the next day to do it again in 2024! We have a team of five already and are looking to pull together an industry team of 20. Fancy joining us? Please let me know…
In September we hit £1,000,000 of good cause cinema room installations!! Congratulations to all who’ve helped make this happen. There must be over 150 different companies and numerous individuals who have played a part in making this happen – hats off and congratulations to every single one of you.
Our £1million Celebration Dinner on May 16th, 2024 is almost sold out and we only have a handful of the 300 tickets available. We have recently secured a ‘superstar’ guest who will help make it a truly memorable night. Looking forward already!
Ian Morrish
Founder, Together For Cinema
Four of our seven scheduled installations for 2023 are now completed, one more is about to start and two hopefully will be completed in time for Christmas. 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 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.
Another positive year for Together For Cinema with great support shown across the industry – 71 companies putting forward charitable grants is amazing and makes it possible for us to operate, and even add a little ‘icing on the cake’ for most installations.
As we all know our industry has been reasonably healthy over the past 3-4 years but I feel there is some concern that things may start to become a little more challenging. This may be the case but I urge you to maintain your support of Together For Cinema and to ask your partners and industry friends to support if they can. If the funding stops, we cannot continue to make the important difference that we’ve been making.
Recent levels of support from our industry show 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. This must continue and it can only continue with your help… As an industry united for good I hope that you can all help make it happen.
In November we will ask all of the companies that have kindly put forward charitable grants this year, and in the past. We hope to secure a healthy amount that will reconfirm their support, but it’s always the way that we will lose some. With this in mind, it would really help if we were able to secure some more sponsors. The levels at which you can support are as follows:-
Bronze (£500) Silver (£1,000) Gold (£2,500) Platinum (£5,000)
Would you be interested in becoming one of our valued Charitable Partners?
Further detail can be found on our website under the heading ‘Charitable Partners’ 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…, please help if you can.
We are so grateful to the four intrepid cyclists that kindly cycled their way to raising over £7,000 for Together For Cinema. A huge thank you must again go to the following:-
Both team efforts were challenges for the participants though I think the 1,000 miles to Austria probably takes top prize!!
For 2024 there seems to be a desire from various members of the industry to pull together a team of riders to tackle the London to Brighton challenge. ‘Team Lycra’, as we called ourselves this year, have all signed up again and we’re hoping to have another 10 or 15 join us on Sunday September 15th. If you’re interested to join us please register at www.londonbrightoncycle.co.uk, opting for a 9am start time, and please do let us know. We would hope that all riders commit to raise £500 each, but there is of course no obligation to do so. Just having you ‘along for the ride’ will help raise the profile of Together For Cinema and the good work that we all help make happen.
There is a rumour that there might be another fundraising effort ‘in plan’ but more of this if and when it happens.
Fundraising is important for any non-profit good cause so please try to support anyone who makes the effort to help Together For Cinema. Every act of generosity really does make a difference…
Thanks to the efforts and support of so many of the Together For Cinema partners, we reached an incredible milestone in September of this year. Yes, we finally did it…, we reached £1,000,000 worth of good cause cinema room installations!
41 donated cinema rooms is an amazing collaborative effort by an industry that has come together to make a difference by giving backto those in need in our community, what we all take for granted every day. All of us involved are committed and, I believe, are delighted to work together, irrelevant of brand or ego, to improve the lives of some families having a tough time.
Nobody donates to secure any tangible return but one thing we must do is celebrate our achievements and we will do this at the Together For Cinema £1m Celebration Dinner on Thursday May 16th at Epsom Racecourse. Here, 300 partnering members of the AV industry, as well as several of our recipient venues, and a special guest, will gather to do just this. Tickets are very nearly sold out, though we do have a few left. If you would like to join us please let me know and I’ll do what I can to secure a seat. Tickets are £145/person.
If you’re unable to attend you can still play a part as we need assistance in two main areas as follows and I wonder if you can help with:-
Listed below are a few other updates that might be of interest:-
So, onwards and upwards to the second million pounds worth of installations!
Lots to do in the meantime and most importantly, ‘more of the same’. Our good cause installations move and inspire all involved and it is vital that we maintain our delivery in this area. 6 or 7 donated cinema rooms a year is our goal and I am confident that we, as an industry united, can achieve this.
Beyond ‘more of the same’ we have a celebration dinner to organise and an AV equipment re-purposing programme to define, shape and launch towards the end of 2024. We may well need some assistance to make this happen and we already have several volunteers and a possible ‘lead’ to manage this going forward.
We know that more challenging times seem to upon us, for a multitude of reasons, however I urge you to continue your support of Together For Cinema. We can only continue to do what we do with your support. I wish I could bottle the feeling we all have when we see first-hand the joy and the excitement that we bring to the venues that we install into. It really does make your heart sing…
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.
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