Firstly…, apologies, for lots of reasons we missed our January 2025 bi-monthly report… However, the good news is that this will be a bumper update with lots of positive and progressive news! You may also note that this is our Quarterly Update and with so much social media giving updates on our activity I think it’s best to now circulate these more comprehensive updates every three months, in March, June, September and December.
Now, onto what we’ve been up to for the past 4 months… With so much happening it’s best to simply make a list…
We completed the last of our nine 2024 installations and had the final official opening at the Birmingham Ronald McDonald House on Tuesday 28th January. Thanks to Ciaran Wilkins of The Big Picture for his installation skills.
We have confirmed 11 installations for 2025, and have installers agreed for all but one.
We have planned and promoted the ‘Team TFC’ London to Brighton cycle ride that will take place on Sunday September 14th. As of now we have 19 confirmed, another 22 verbally committed, taking us up to We still have 9 spaces available to get to our team of 50 so please contact me if you want to join us!
We commissioned the GivingBack.tech website, created our logo and now have a holding page at www.GivingBack.tech. This is a wonderful platform to repurpose AV products to good causes in the UK
We went out to the industry for our charitable partnership funding for our 2025 funding requirement, securing almost all the revenue we need to run for the year. Charitable partnerships start at £500.
We went to ISE, along with another 85,000 people!
We came back from ISE absolutely shattered, and slightly peaky…, along with thousands others!
As you can see there’s been lots going on and we’re set for another great year. A year where we can all continue to help make a difference in our community.
Ian Morrish
Founder and Managing Director, Together For Cinema CIC
We currently have 11 installations listed for 2025, and this will be our biggest delivery in a year if we achieve it! I suspect however that one or two of the planned installations may drop to 2026, and part of me hopes this is the case!
The installations below are listed in expected ‘Completion Date’ order and 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 we all know the key to making these installations happen is a good installer and I reckon we have some of the very best listed above. Thanks again to you all…
With 11 installations scheduled for 2025 I suspect that one or maybe two will drop into 2026 so, for the moment, I am being cautious on what I schedule for next year.
The list below will no doubt change throughout the coming year, but we would expect to look at another 7 or installations or 2026.
We are of course in touch with many other venues and have a strong pipeline to call on, however, if you know of any charitable family care venue that could benefit from our offering, please do let me know.
We have been extremely fortunate that since 2021 our industry, and some outside of the industry, have been extremely supportive and have helped fund our journey, and hence played a major part in all that Together For Cinema has achieved. For this we are hugely grateful, as are all of the beneficiaries, including the venues themselves, and the families and children that enjoy the fruits of our collaborative efforts.
Over the past 12 months I wholeheartedly believe that Together For Cinema has delivered beyond expectation. For this delivery to continue into 2025 and beyond we need continued support, increased support and new support funding.
With the current escalating economic challenges we have unsurprisingly lost a few partners and hence it’s really important that we find new partners to make sure we keep delivering as we have been. With this in mind if you’re not already supporting please can I ask you to consider becoming one of our Charitable Partners.
Our current list of Charitable Partners reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of our industry and we would be delighted for you to join the list of supporting partners. You can see the list of those already committed on our website by clicking here.
With the above in mind the levels at which you, and/or your industry contacts can support are as follows:-
Further detail can be found here or alternatively please contact Ian Morrish at ian@togetherforcinema.co.uk to discuss what options are open to you, and what difference you can help make.
We have some very exciting plans for 2025 and Together For Cinema, and the difference we make to so many lives, can only continue with your support…
For any small Charity or Community Interest Company ‘that little bit extra’ secured by fundraising is important for so many reasons. Of course the financial benefits are obvious but the increased PR, the potential coming together of an industry community and of course the fun factor are all important add-ons to helping make a difference.
Following the success of our London to Brighton cycling challenge in 2024, and eagerness for more participation, we felt we had to do it one more time… Hence, on Sunday September 14th, there will be 50 Together For Cinema and AV sponsor branded lycra clad cyclists pedalling their way from Clapham Common to the Brighton seafront. We’ll also have one or two runners joining the riders so it’ll be a proper cavalry charge!
The more the merrier of course so and the greater the amount of people involved, the greater will be the increased awareness and support throughout our industry.
Currently we have 19 registered, with 22 more verbally confirmed, leaving 9 more seats available to get to our magic target of 50 runners and riders. Of course we won’t turn anyone away so who knows, we may even get beyond the magic 50!
One of the many lasting memories of last year’s ride was another cyclist, riding for Great Ormond Street Hospital, flying past me saying ‘there’s another of those Together For Cinema shirts – wonder what they do’… Think we made an impact! …and just in case you’re wondering I didn’t have the opportunity to tell him what we did, mainly because I was exhausted and couldn’t catch him!
With recent progress and lots to talk about I think this deserves it’s own sub-heading.
GivingBack.tech is a new website inspired by the good work and the team at Together For Cinema. Quite simply it is:-
“A new website to repurpose AV equipment to good causes.
It will connect donors such as manufacturers, distributors, integrators, and corporates with registered charities and CICs seeking second-hand, discontinued, or B-stock equipment.”
The ambition is to test early Summer 2025, refine, further define and then action a soft launch to our partners in Autumn 2025, followed by an open launch early in 2026. However, it will take as long as it will take. The most important thing is that we get the website right, enabling donors and beneficiaries to engage in a simple, understandable and clear fashion with no misunderstanding.
There is a holding page at www.givingback.tech and we will work hard to get things in shape as soon as we can. This includes presenting to the AV User Groups, at the CEDIA Summits and at Essential Install. Other opportunities will undoubtedly come our way…
Database Development
We are constantly working to develop our donor and beneficiary base to ensure that when we test, and ultimately launch, we have enough traction to assess the potential of the site and also the feedback to shape and style the process.
We will engage with our industry media and trade associations, as well as key charity and third sector media and organisations to make sure we communicate the right message to the right people.
To get on top of this we have taken on some contracted assistance to develop our data to ensure we have enough donors to populate with products and ensure that the beneficiaries have enough products to select from – hence proving the value of the website….
Listed below are a few other updates that might be of interest:-
ISE 2025, February 4-7, Barcelona.
Another excellent show for the 85,000+ attendees and another excellent show of positive engagement for Together For Cinema. Industry support, and the awareness of our good work, continues to grow and our new product repurposing website, www.GivingBack.tech has been received with great positivity and excitement.
The CEDIA Summits
We’re again grateful to CEDIA for offering us a space at their four Tech Summits, and I’m delighted to confirm that we will be present at all four as follows:-
Thank you to Matt Nimmons and Steve Carter for giving us a space and also for allowing us to present our update to the attendees.
The Smiley Charity Film Awards
For the second year I have been asked to be a judge at the Smiley Charity Film Awards, to be held for the first time at Indigo at the O2 in London. The event will take place on Thursday March 20th and will again be a star studded affair with a host of celebrities in attendance, as well as many from the charitable third sector.
At the 2024 awards I was asked to judge the ‘up to £100,000 turnover’ category, and there was a clear winner in my eyes that ended up winning the award. This year, a promotion, and I’ve been asked to judge the ‘£100,000 to £250,000 turnover’ category, and there were 5 of the 17 films that stood out, all very different, but I did decide on a winner and will know soon if I chose well!
It's an honour to again be asked to judge these important films and it’s a real insight to appreciate further how many wonderful causes there are, run by so many amazing people to help so many.
This is our first report of 2025 and I must again express my gratitude to those individuals and companies that help make Together For Cinema happen. Be it liking a social media post, donating product, managing an installation or becoming a charitable partner at whatever financial level, your support is invaluable, much appreciated and makes a difference to so many lives.
This will be another positive and successful year for Together For Cinema and an exciting year of development for GivingBack.tech. Basically more of the same, but now with the addition of an important medium to repurpose AV product to good causes.
If you’re not already part of our extended community please contact Ian Morrish at ian@togetherforcinema.co.uk to find out how you can help.
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