Established in 2018, Heart Heroes supports both children and families affected by lifelong heart conditions through inclusive projects, subsidised trips and events, family support in hospital, mental health and well-being support, and much more!
The Heart Heroes pathway is designed to support Heart families from pre-birth through to adulthood. Their ongoing support networks include family support in hospital, family days out and events, support via their online portal, online resources, play therapy, family facebook page and bereavement support.
In addition to the ongoing support available for families, they also offer age specific projects for Heart Heroes to have fun, build confidence and receive the support they need.
Heart Heroes are currently supporting 1,032 families across the UK and Wales – with 238 of those living in and around Gloucestershire - affected by a life limiting or life-threatening Heart Condition.
https://heartheroes.co.uk/
It was in October 2024 that I first contacted Kelly Cornish the Founder and CEO of Heart Heroes. I had heard of her good work from Berwyn Jones at Digital Interiors, a local CEDIA member installer, and of her plans for an old Caretaker’s bungalow in Gloucester.
This bungalow had recently been gifted from a local primary school on a 15 year lease free of charge, and the intention is that it would serve as the main office and hub for hosting children and families to deliver a range of support. The plans for the space included a multi-use space of about 55 square metres.
With their new plans in mind a timely contact was made to Kelly to see if Together For Cinema could help in any way. Timely indeed, as she had recently been discussing a TV/gaming area with her colleagues! Having chatted with Kelly our proposal of an area dedicated to cinema and gaming was well received and we were very quickly committed to help make this happen.
As with any Together For Cinema installation the biggest challenge is to find the right installer to make the magic happen. Having had Berwyn introduce me to Heart Heroes I was fairly confident that I had a head start in this search…, and indeed I did…
One quick email and a follow up call, and Berwyn and his team from Digital Interiors were on board.
It was on November 27th that Berwyn visited the Caretakers Bungalow for the first time and with the shape and size of the room, as well as the limitations governed by the day to day care demands, there was really only one place our ’cinema and gaming vision’ could be located.
Having only one area possible for our installation actually made things easier to execute… Basically, ‘it is what it is’ so we just had to go and make the best use of the space we had to work with.
This space was in the corner of the room and gave us the opportunity to create an ‘at the touch of a button’ dedicated AV space that would be enjoyed for years to come. This ‘touch of a button’ transformation is always important for that AV experience transformation, be it for cinema use, sporting events or gaming.
It’s always challenging when an area needs to remain multi-functional as there are limitations that govern how far the immersive feel of the space can go. For example it wasn’t possible to install a projector and screen, so we went for a 75” TV panel. Compromised, but not disheartened as Berwyn had a vision that really worked!
However, 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 Digital Interiors kindly donated the balance of the ‘installation consumables’.
All brands mentioned 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 and as mentioned above, all that we had approached had donated several times in the past…
We are of course hugely grateful to all companies that donate to a Together For Cinema project but for Heart Heroes this is a real bonus that they a could never have afforded or imagined having. Thank you to all that donated and the kit list reads as follows…
Tuesday 27th May, 2025.
Monday 24th June, 2025.
On Wednesday 8th October a group of us gathered at Heart Heroes in Gloucester to officially open the new cinema room, and outdoor audio facility. We were also joined by two Heart Hero Mums and their gorgeous boys.
From the industry I was delighted to be joined by Berwyn Jones of Digital Interiors, Chris Pinder of One AV and HDA, and also one of our directors, and Stuart Burgess of HCA Media who kindly helped with photography and video direction. Kelly Cornish, Founder and CEO of Heart Heroes, and her colleagues laid on the most fabulous Brownies and Lemon Drizzle Cake and we were treated to a demo and of course learnt much more of the great work that Heart Heroes does in the UK.
Talking to the two Mums, Harriet and Amy, and their children, Kai and Oregan was very moving and brought it home how important a focused charity like Heart Heroes is, not only in the Gloucester area, but with it’s network of hubs around the UK, the impact is substantial, and of course countrywide.
Tea, cake, a demo and a tour, then four videos for social media, and we were done and on our way. Thank you Kelly for allowing us to help at such a wonderful facility and I wish you well for the future…
“To come…”
Berwyn Jones, Director, Digital Interiors
“For the Heart Heroes families, many of whom face the daily challenges of living with congenital heart conditions, this cinema room represents so much more than entertainment. It’s a safe, inclusive space where children can escape the pressures of hospital visits and medical routines. It's a place to laugh, bond, and make precious memories with their families in a setting designed just for them.
The impact is already clear: relief on parents’ faces, excitement in the children’s eyes, and a sense of togetherness that transcends the screen. This facility is a lasting gift of joy and community - one that we believe will uplift Heart Heroes for years to come. A huge thank you to both Together for Cinema and Digital Interiors.”
Kelly Cornish, Founder and CEO, Heart Heroes
THANK YOU…, you have helped make a real difference at Heart Heroes in Gloucester, 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 Heart Heroes this new cinema and gaming facility is a wonderful addition to their multi-purpose space and at a normal cost of around £20,000, is something that would not usually be considered as a possibility.
This was Together for Cinema’s 55th good cause cinema room installation and helped take the Together for Cinema good cause community delivery to almost £1.5m worth of installations, had they all been paid for.
This was Digital Interior’s first Together For Cinema installation but they had helped service a previous one so Berwyn and his team were aware of the work of Together For Cinema. Berwyn’s efforts and the generosity of our industry have created a space that families will enjoy for many years to come. Be it movie time, sporting events, gaming, karaoke, training or fundraising, the installation will be used and enjoyed by many people, bringing joy and benefit to this wonderful cause. Most importantly of all, it will help cradle a families journey at a tough time in their lives.
Thank you again to Berwyn Jones, and of course his team at Digital Interiors, for taking this on and 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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