Little Havens provides specialist care and support for babies, children and young people living with complex or incurable conditions, from Essex and the surrounding boroughs.
They offer care and support for each child or young person, and their whole family, in their homes and at the hospice in Benfleet, near Rayleigh, in Essex.
The hospice is set in beautiful meadowland, surrounded by expansive, landscaped gardens, sensory areas, wheelchair-accessible swings and other adaptable play equipment. Their facilities include a multi-sensory room, a ball pool and messy play areas.
Comfortable, free accommodation is available to family members, so families can stay with their children and make the most of their time together.
https://www.havenshospices.org.uk/childrens-and-young-peoples-care/little-havens/
It was way back in July 2011 that we first had contact with Little Havens and this initial contact led to a small TV / cinema room facility being installed in January 2012. This was our 4th ever installation, and was kindly project managed by Rayleigh Hi-Fi. This room had served Little Havens well, though it had always been a multifunctional space, being used for such things as music therapy, gaming and computing.
In July of 2023 Together For Cinema donated some Elo Touch Screens to Little Haves and the subject of their cinema room was raised. With the room not having a defined use, there was a clear desire to further develop the room into a more focused and defined AV Media and Cinema space.
A visit was planned in August 2023 and whilst there we were shown another room that the staff at Little Havens thought might work well for a cinema facility, as well as maybe training, fundraising etc… So, we now had two options to consider, but we had time as there was no urgency and there needed to be more internal discussion about the future use of these two rooms. In the meantime I set about looking for a suitable installer…
James Brown and Andrew Fox of The Cinema Company had always been hugely supportive of Together For Cinema and had been waiting in the wings to help with a project. With Little Havens being only a couple of miles away from their offices, it made it a very easy decision for me to approach them and having done so they were both 100% on board to help make the magic happen at Little Havens.
Both James and Andrew were of a similar mindset…, no compromises, we’ll make the room the very best it can be (within reason of course!), so that it becomes a real ‘go to’ feature space at Little Havens for years to come.
It was great to have an installer like The Cinema Company on board but I knew their kit list wouldn’t hold many, if any, compromises so I knew this would be a big ask from the industry!
With two rooms to consider our visit was more comprehensive than some of our other site visits. Both rooms were possibilities but after a little toing and froing it became clear that the original room that we had installed into in 2012 was going to give the best result for the children and their families, and this was the most important factor is the decision making process.
This room had it’s challenges though…, and mainly the shape. Basically it’s an end of building room with a half circle arc at the rear of a roughly 4m square room, almost like a flat square doorway.
It’s a times like these that having an experienced installer on board is really valuable. Immediate solutions were found to all the challenges and suitable products specified to bring the right solution to the room and help create a dedicated and wonderfully immersive viewing space that will be used and enjoyed by so many families for years to come.
With Monitor Audio also being a long term Founding Partner of Together For Cinema, and also being located so close to Little Havens, they had already offered us a comprehensive speaker package, and then several other ’old faithfuls’ stepped up to support including the likes of Control 4, Epson, HDA, JBL, Legrand and Webro. A big thank you to Stephen Gough of IM Products and Richard Trotter of Harman International who stepped in last minute with an urgent solution!
Beyond this James and Andrew from The Cinema Company worked incredibly hard with their contacts to source and supply services, goods and materials to prepare the room as best they could for the installation that they had designed. An electrician, painting and decorating, fabric wall coverings, the creation of a pelmet to house the screen, curtain tracking and curtains…, nothing was beyond getting to the best end result and design that they had envisaged.
We are of course hugely grateful to all companies that donate to a Together For Cinema project but for Little Havens this is a real bonus that they a could never have afforded or imagined creating. Thank you to all that donated and the kit list reads as follows…
Thursday 8th May, 2025.
Friday 30th March, 2025
Due to busy Summers and lots of other factors the official opening was held on Thursday 25th September, 2025, and it was really worth the wait!
A group of us arrived at Little Havens and on entering the room there really was a wow factor… Floor to ceiling blackout drapes, subtle lighting, big screen, awesome audio and simple to use control. The transformation from the original room to what we walked into was incredible and all credit to the installation team at The Cinema Company team and all those suppliers that helped make it happen.
We were delighted to be joined on the day by Mark Reynolds of ADI Global, Stephen Gough of IM Products, Shane Caswell of Webro and Rob Barford and his wife from Monitor Audio, all of whom supplied product to help make this wonderful room a reality. Also, a huge thank you to Stuart Burgess of HCA Media who kindly gave up his time to take photos and videos of the day, and some of these are attached to this report.
Also joining us on the day were Louise Bryan (CEO), Steve McClure (Head of Facilities) and Charlotte from the care team who kindly showed everyone the facilities at Little Havens. An inspiring tour and one that showed us all the incredible work that goes on at Little Havens.
Demand was high for the room and soon we all had to move outside as there was a family keen to settle in and watch a movie. It was great to see a family settled in and enjoying a movie together and we all happily moved out to the patio to have a cup of tea and a biscuit!
“The Cinema Company was recently honored to work with Together for Cinema, a charity that provides cinema installations in children’s hospices across the UK. We were invited to design and install a cinema room at Little Havens Hospice in Benfleet, a project that felt especially meaningful as it’s just a short distance from our own offices and showroom.
From the outset, our team was determined to create something truly special for the children, families, and staff who spend time at Little Havens. The process was not without its challenges—strengthening the ceiling to support the projector, and building a bespoke bulkhead for the screen were just two examples of the unforeseen hurdles we faced. However, each challenge pushed us to deliver our very best, and the final result was more than worth the effort.
The completed cinema now offers a dedicated space for joy, comfort, and togetherness—an environment where families can share treasured moments. We are incredibly proud to have played a part in this project and deeply grateful to Ian and the Together for Cinema team for the opportunity.”
James Brown, Managing Director, The Cinema Company
“We are so grateful to Together for Cinema and The Cinema Company for creating our new Cinema Room at Little Havens. This special space is already making such a difference to the children and families we care for. For many of the young people we support, visiting a public cinema simply isn’t possible – whether due to accessibility needs, sensory challenges, or the cost involved. This room removes those barriers, bringing the magic of the movies to them in a safe and welcoming environment.
The design is simple but intentional. With dark walls, blackout blinds, a projector and large screen, the room captures the real cinema feel. Its flexibility means we can bring in beds, beanbags, or wheelchairs so that every child can be comfortable and fully included.
It’s more than just a cinema, too. The space is used for gaming, siblings’ weekends and cosy family movie nights – creating opportunities for joy, laughter and togetherness. Thanks to your support, and of the AV industry, these everyday experiences are now accessible to children who might otherwise miss out, helping them and their families make every day count together.”
Steve McClure, Head of Facilities, Little Havens Children’s Hospice
THANK YOU…, you have helped make a real difference at Little Havens Children’s Hospice in Benfleet, 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 Little Havens Children’s Hospice this new gaming and media room is a wonderful addition to their facility and at a normal cost of around £42,000, is something that would not usually be considered as a possibility.
This was Together for Cinema’s 54th good cause cinema room installation and helped take the Together for Cinema good cause community delivery to just over £1.4m worth of installations, had they all been paid for.
The Cinema Company have wanted to get involved with a Together For Cinema installation for a while so it was wonderful that we could get them involved in their local children’s hospice. The end result is a stunning room that offers a tailored cinema experience that works perfectly in this very specific care environment.
Needless to say, this room would never have been possible without the support and generosity of the AV industry, but most credit must go to James Brown, Andrew Fox and their extended team for creating a magical that will help make so many happy memories over the coming years.
Thank you again…, on behalf of so many…
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Report created by Ian Morrish. All quotes to be from Ian Morrish, unless otherwise stated.
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