Chestnut Tree House is a children’s hospice for Sussex and South East Hampshire. Thanks to support from the local community, children and families who know they don’t have long together have the chance to live life to the full and say goodbye in the way that is right for them.
The generosity of the local community makes this happen. Almost £6 million is needed every year to provide hospice care for local children and their families. Very little of this comes from the government. The rest comes from the amazing donations they receive, fundraising, gifts in wills, shops, the Chestnut Tree House lottery and volunteering.
On a visit to Chestnut Tree House, kids can be astronauts for the day in the multi-sensory room, discover creepy crawlies on a woodland walk, or form their very own pop group in the music room. It is a place where parents can just be parents, and not carers, and where siblings have people to talk to who understand.
As well as care provided at the House, nurses visit families at home, taking children out to explore their local community, or simply giving tired families and carers the chance to take a well-earned break.
Then, when the time comes, the team at Chestnut Tree House help families say goodbye, in whatever way feels right for them, at home or in the hospice itself. They also offer ongoing bereavement support for the whole family.
https://www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/
It was back in April 2012 that we first had contact with Chestnut Tree House, and in 2014 we actually installed a cinema facility in their multifunctional annex. This room had always been used for lot of different events, and of course the cinema facility was a great addition. Still, much appreciated and well used, but there is a real need for a more personal and intimate AV space.
Fast forward to January 2022, and I was contacted again by Chestnut Tree House with an idea to transform their computer room. This was discussed and then thing went quiet until June 2023 when I was contacted again regarding an issue with the projector in their dining room. With me being totally non-technical (and famed for my lack of technical ability!) I needed to find a local installer to take a look at this. One call to Matt and Alex Josling at Seven Integration and they were on their way!
During this visit Jack Northeast, the activities team leader at Chestnut Tree House, outlined the issue and fortunately a solution was found, very simply a new lamp was required which is an easy fix. Lamp ordered, return visit, lamp replaced, and all systems go again!
Again, things went quiet until I was re-introduced to one of the team at Chestnut Tree House by two of their patrons, Chesney and Krissy Hawkes (no One and Only jokes, think we’ve heard them all anyway!). This was in June 2024, shortly after Chesney had sung for us at our £1m Celebration Dinner at Epsom Downs Racecourse.
Another visit was scheduled and it was at this meeting that Jack Northeast and I discussed the computer room. Jack was happy for us to have free rein to do as we please with the room to make it into a more intimate AV/gaming/cinema room space. A vision was discussed, but the key to any installation is the installer…
One call to Matt and Alex at Seven Integration and we had our installer!
Mid-September 2024 saw Matt, Alex, Jack and I meet at Chestnut Tree House in Arundel. We discussed our initial thoughts which were all pretty much spot on, but with the vision and expertise of a good installer the vision became ever more exciting. Acoustic panelling, colour co-ordinating, the right kit for the right purpose etc… Suddenly the room became all the more exciting and also a room that we all knew would be a great addition to the facilities offered and an important space for intimate family engagement.
Now, the big question, what product did we need… With any installation such as this we always try to ‘go for broke’ and specify everything that we felt would enhance the room. This included automated blinds, ceiling lighting, a 75” screen, great speakers, easy control, good content etc…
A comprehensive kit list was drawn up and off I went to my industry contacts to see if we could gather all that was needed to make this wonderful room happen.
All brands listed below were ‘ready, willing and able’ to donate the items that we needed to make this room happen. With a comprehensive and quality kit list there’s always the concern that we may struggle to make it happen, however, everyone we approached was keen to donate.
Most of the companies that we approached had donated before and we, as well as Seven Integration and Chestnut Tree House are hugely grateful to all that helped make this amazing room happen. However, the biggest appreciation come from all those that will use the room…
Thank you to you all and the kit list reads as follows…
Monday 10th March, 2025.
Thursday 13th March, 2025
To Be Confirmed.
"We’ve supported Chestnut Tree House over the years through various fundraising efforts and by offering occasional help with their existing cinema room. So when Together For Cinema reached out about upgrading a space used for movies and gaming, we jumped at the chance to be involved.
Working at the luxury end of the market, it’s easy to get wrapped up in high-end projects in exclusive homes — but this was a chance to use our skills to create something truly meaningful for our local community. Chestnut Tree House is a remarkable place, and we wanted to give them more than just a big TV and speakers.
We designed a warm, easy-to-use media and gaming room, complete with motorised blinds and a simple Control4 setup that lets the system be controlled from a Lutron keypad on the wall (no more missing remotes or dead batteries!). We even custom sprayed the speakers to match the Chestnut Tree brand colours.
The wood panelling was the perfect finishing touch, generously donated by our local Howdens in Worthing.
Being part of something like this reminds us why we do what we do — creating spaces that bring comfort, joy, and a little escapism when it’s needed most."
Matt and Alex Josling, Directors, Seven Integration
”The computer room at Chestnut Tree House has always been a sanctuary for our avid gamers and film buffs to get away from the usual hustle and bustle of the hospice to kick back and relax with the latest block buster or get stuck in to saving the world on their favourite video games. But the room has always lacked the cutting edge technology and modern décor to create a truly immersive experience for those that enjoy gaming and cinema the most. That’s why when Together For Cinema took on the project we were beside ourselves with excitement having already experienced their handy work with the cinema set up in our annex which was installed 2013 and still a popular piece of kit to this day.
The team from Seven Integration have done an incredible job not only with the innovative tech they have installed but the chic and modern design that will particularly appeal to our teenage cohort who will love gaming in a cool and immersive space. Gaming and cinema are super important to many of the children and young people at Chestnut Tree House. In most cases the children and young people’s complex needs restrict them from taking part in similar activities to their peers movies and gaming are a powerful piece of escapism to for any young person with complex needs. With the full surround sound and gigantic screen families will be hard pushed not to feel like they really are at Wembley or Gotham City or wherever their chosen adventure takes them next.”
Jack Northeast, Activities Team Leader, Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice
THANK YOU…, you have helped make a real difference at the Chestnut Tree House in Arundel, 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 Chestnut Tree House in Arundel this new cinema room is a wonderful addition to their facility and, at a normal cost of around £22,000, is something that would not usually be budgeted for and ever considered as a possibility.
This was Together for Cinema’s 52nd good cause cinema room installation and helped take the Together for Cinema good cause community delivery to £1.35m worth of installations, had they all been paid for. Without the comprehensive support of the AV industry these rooms simply wouldn’t happen so for all involved…, thank you…
For Matt and Alex Josling, and their team at Seven Integration, they have all helped create a wonderful room that will used and enjoyed for many years to come. Their extra design and installation expertise will help give all that use it an amazing AV experience that help create lots of happy times and some very special memories.
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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