The Children and Young People’s Unit is made up of three wards: ward 12, ward 30 and ward 32 (Children’s Clinical Decisions Area) situated on level 3 in the Bradford Royal Infirmary. The unit looks after children from ages 0 – 16 years and older children if they are being cared for by one of our paediatric consultants in the community.
Ward 12: This is the Children’s day-case unit. Children are admitted to this ward for day case surgery, blood transfusions and other tests and procedures.
Ward 30: This is for a variety of acute (emergency) and elective (planned) admissions. Children may be under the care of different specialities, and not necessarily under the care of a paediatrician. The ward includes a stabilisation area for children who are clinically very unwell and require extra care and support. Some children will return from stabilisation to the ward, but some children may need to be transferred to another hospital for specialist care.
Ward 32: Children are referred to the unit from GP’s, midwives, community nursing teams and the Emergency Departments for review by the relevant medical or surgical team.
Once reviewed a decision will be made on the best course of action which may involve your child:
https://www.bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk/childrens-services/
In February 2024 I was introduced to Lisa Williams, the Head of Fundraising at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We quickly set up a Zoom call and agreed that we might well be able to work together but there were hoops to jump through that might take some time to manage.
This proved to be the case but in October I visited the hospital and viewed the room that had been identified as a possibility. This proved to be a challenging space as the room was really not suitable for what we had discussed. It was long, thin, jutting out walls, no air con etc… Okay for a TV and soundbar, but not for the experience we were trying to create for the children, and of course their families and care team. However, where there’s a will there’s a way and we viewed another couple of potential spaces that might work…, one of which stood out as a real possibility…, but it has its own challenge…
This new room was at the time being used by the physio team but only occasionally and generally on a one to one basis. The idea was now that Lisa would talk the physio team to see if they could relocate to the original room that we viewed, and we could look at creating a dedicated cinema / Media Room for the children in this new space we had viewed. The right idea but of course more internal hoops to get through.
On January 6, 2025 I received an email from Lisa confirming that this new room had been given the go ahead and we were all systems go!! This new room was at the end of the building about 30 yards away from the Children’s Ward. Perfect in that there was no concerns regarding noise levels and we were able to create the ‘going to the cinema’ feel with the walk, the lobby area outside the room and of course the ideas we had for the room. Fortunately we had a wonderful installer already committed to manage the installation.
In November 2024 I had a meeting with a local installer who kindly agreed to undertake the installation, however, once we got to visit and commitment time this installer went very quiet on me so we looked for another.
With the help of an introduction from one of my co-directors, Melanie Malcolm, I met with Joe Humphries and Anthony Gallon from Clever Association and immediately they were committed to the task. We now had the team in place and a room to transform…
Joe and Anthony had previously helped at Martin House Children’s Hospice and were keen to take on another good cause installation so we got them involved just the right time!
It’s one thing me visiting a room to assess what can be done, but as my technical knowledge is rather limited, it’s always best that the installer discusses more of what can be achieved in any particular room. Their technical knowledge coupled with an eye for design and creativity is so important when trying to create a special place for the children and their families to enjoy.
Having Clever Association commit to the project gave us all the experience and know how that we needed to make this room very special, and their initial thoughts and designs went way beyond the expectations of both myself and the hospital!
As with any installation in a venue governed by the priority of care needs, there were some limitations in design and the kind of equipment we could use, however it was clear that we could create a room that would bring magic and memories for all that used it.
Beyond Joe and Anthony at Clever Association, they had recruited Joe Jones of Tigerplay and Chris and Pete Johnson of Creative Joinery and Design, companies specialising in soft play design and equipment, and also in creating that special atmosphere of play and fun. Such a key part of the installation…
With all this talent available to us a design was drawn up and, amongst great excitement, was immediately approved by the hospital! The excitement was for all aspects of the installation, the one button transformation, the great audio, the big screen and of course the creation of a safe and themed environment for the children to enjoy and look forward to using.
The products specified had to be right for the job, and with high use expected, they needed to be ‘hardy’ and give a high quality result. Many of our regular donors stepped up to help and Clever Association kindly donated the balance of the ‘installation consumables’.
With a comprehensive design, came a comprehensive kit list and Joe and Anthony at Clever Association didn’t compromise on making the room as wonderful as it could be. As you see below the list of the products that were donated is quite a long one…, but with all of us working together we were able to secure all the items specified.
All the brands listed below were more than willing to help and I’m delighted to say that the gathering of the products was more administration that ‘presentation and persuasion’. Fortunately there is wonderful goodwill to Together For Cinema, but also the team at Clever Association – a reflection of how they are perceived and respected in the industry.
It goes without saying (but we will) how grateful we all are to the companies that donated to help make this wonderful room a reality. A reality that seemed like a pipe dream before we had our initial meeting… Thank you to all that donated and the kit list reads as follows…
Monday 6th October, 2025.
Thursday 9th October, 2025
Friday November 28th, 2025
“We’re incredibly proud to have been able to offer our time and expertise for such a wonderful project. Our team relished the opportunity to help deliver this room, as we knew from speaking to the team at Bradford Royal Infirmary just how much it would be used, and the difference that it would make during difficult times for local families.
The team at Bradford Royal Infirmary have been so welcoming, with Kelly and Sam blessed with a ‘can do’ attitude and real passion for what they do. This made our job simple and straightforward, allowing us to focus on our installation works and minimise time and disruption on the busy ward.
Last but not least, working with Ian and the wider Together for Cinema team has been truly inspiring. Ian’s tireless commitment to raise funds and deliver these amazing spaces across the country must be applauded, and we can’t wait to help out with more in the future.”
Joe Humphries and Anthony Gallon, Directors, Clever Association
“The teams from Together for Cinema, Tigerplay and Clever Associates have made the installation of the new cinema room seamless. Communication was shared every step of the way, and the team were a pleasure to meet and work with. There was minimal disruption to the ward environment and feedback from the nurses on site was positive. The team understood the importance of being mindful when working in a hospital environment. Ensuring no loud noises after certain times and taking into account the proximity of patient bedrooms. We would highly recommend the incredible team of talented, enthusiastic, and passionate individuals to all.
It has been a real pleasure to meet everyone involved in creating the cinema room and can’t wait to work through the handover and understand how everything works! The skills brought by every member of the team shine through in the wonderful space you have created, thank you!”
Kelly Townsend, Community and Events Fundraiser, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
THANK YOU…, you have helped make a real difference at the children’s ward at Bradford Infirmary Hospital, and in turn, have made a real difference to so many people’s lives.
We’re all aware that charities have to work very hard to secure the funding for most of their operational costs. With the comprehensive and considered cradling of a family through tough times, there is little monies left over for luxuries such as a cinema room.
For the Bradford Royal Infirmary Hospital this new cinema room is a wonderful addition to their facility and at a normal cost of around £47,000, is something that would not usually be considered as a possibility.
This was Together for Cinema’s 57th good cause cinema room installation and helped take the Together for Cinema good cause community delivery to a few pounds over £1.5m worth of installations, had they all been paid for.
Clever Association have followed the progress of Together For Cinema for several years and this was their first Together For Cinema installation, though I suspect they may look at another at some stage…
Giving the children’s ward this wonderful cinema and media room will ensure that so many families that are going through some challenging times, will be able to relax and enjoy a big screen experience for many years to come. Be it movie time, gaming, karaoke, training, fundraising, the installation will be used and for many different purposes, all bringing joy and benefit to this wonderful cause.
Thank you again to Joe and Anthony, and the rest of the team, at Clever Association, and of course Joe at Tigerplay, for making this room so special. I hope the ‘feel good’ factor of being involved in such a project, and making a difference to so many lives, is worth more than any payment.
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For further details please contact Ian Morrish at:-
Work: 01372 454366 ♦ Mobile: 07768 398007 ♦ Email: ian@togetherforcinema.co.uk
www.togetherforcinema.co.uk
Report created by Ian Morrish. All quotes to be from Ian Morrish, unless otherwise stated.
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