LOCATION AND INTRODUCTION:
St.Oswald’s is a charitable hospice rooted in the North East. They provide outstanding, specialist and expert care to children, young adults and adults with life limiting conditions. They strive to provide quality time for everyone.
Together, they make the most of time and improve quality of life for everyone in the North East living with an incurable condition, and their families.
Together, with the vital support of their staff, volunteers, donors and supporters, they will continue to develop and grow their services so that everyone in their region gets expert, dignified and compassionate care when they need it.
Their strategic objectives are commendable and are as follows:-
HOW INITIAL CONTACT WAS MADE:
It was April 2012 that Together for Cinema first had contact with St Oswalds, and we ended up installing a small cinema room set up in their Teenage Lounge that opened later in the year in November. Being in the very early days of Together For Cinema, this was a relatively small installation, but nevertheless it made a real difference and brought the cinema viewing experience in house to the children and young adults at St.Oswalds.
With the success of this installation, Jane Hamblin, St Oswald’s Head of Facilities, who I had worked with in 2012, contacted me again in August 2021 to see if we would be able to help with a new installation idea they had in a more accessible and communal area of the hospice. Bearing in mind the first installation was a ‘humble’ one I felt we could really deliver something much improved, and significantly more impactful.
HOW THE INSTALLER / PROJECT MANAGER WAS FOUND:
The installation team in 2012 consisted of two companies, DSE Digital and Creative Install. Since the installation both companies have been extremely supporting of our work and Gary Chapman from Creative Install had been in contact with me over the years and had expressed an interest in helping with another installation if something suitable and relatively local presented itself. It was therefore an easy decision for me to approach Gary to see if he’d like to help again.
This I did in September 2021 and Gary, even though hugely busy with overseas projects, agreed to take the installation on with a view to an earing mind Gary’s overseas commitments, Christmas holidays and a very busy start to the year Gary and I were unable to meet until 22nd February, 2022.
Gary very kindly collected me from Newcastle Station and we had a brief catch up on the way to the hospice. Whilst there we were shown the old Teenage Lounge and the kit is still in good order, if not a little dated of course! After this we viewed the room that St Oswalds felt would work best as the location of their new cinema room, and what would be a much more comprehensive and immersive experience.
The room had some limitations as it had to remain multifunctional, as many of our proposed rooms do, but between us Gary and I had a vision of what we felt we might be able to deliver, with the help of our industry friends of course!
SOURCING OF PRODUCTS:
Shortly after our visit, Gary and I got together and drew up the preferred kit list. With the wonderful goodwill that Together For Cinema has developed we were able to confidently list all of the products that we felt would make the best of the space available. There were some ‘small asks’, some ‘medium asks’ and a ‘big ask’, and I’m delighted to say that all the companies we went to were as supportive as they could be.
All of the product ‘gathered’ were brand new apart from one item which had recently been donated from an upgraded cinema room installation in Scotland. I’m hoping to look at this kind of support more in the future as there really is a great deal of good equipment gathering dust or boxed up in a warehouse corner until it’s technically not current and will hence be land filled. More on this another time…
We had 11 companies step up and donate and it never ceases to amaze me how generous our industry is. Some are small items, some are quite large but the willingness to help is unquestionable. A big thank you to you all. Yet again, we have all helped create something very special.
KIT LIST THAT WAS DONATED:
INSTALL STARTED:
Thursday 24th November, 2022.
INSTALL COMPLETED AND FINAL SIGN OFF:
Tuesday 29th November, 2022.
OPENING RECEPTION:
This took place between 10.30am and 12.30pm on Wednesday 11th January. There were about 20 people in attendance and Gary Chapman and his installation team from Creative Install were there in force! I was also delighted that Melanie Malcolm from Bespoke Home Cinemas and Adrian Ickeringill from Sonance, both long term supporters of Together For Cinema were also able to join us.
There were several people present from the management and care team of St Oswalds, and they were all hugely appreciative of the new cinema room facility that our collaborative effort has made happen. They recounted some recent stories of the difference that we had made and rest assured they were all quite emotional…, but also lovely to hear.
Dave Johns also very kindly joined us for the opening. Dave is an English comedian, actor, and writer, best known for his breakthrough role as Daniel Blake in the 2016 Ken Loach film, ‘I, Daniel Blake’, a role for which he won the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer in 2017. He’s had lots of other roles and many comedic appearances. However, for me it’s his roles in the two Fisherman’s Friends films that puts him up the cinematographic pedestal! Just love the fact that it’s a true story about a group of fishermen who sing sea shanties and get a million pound record deal!!!!
After some words from myself and Dave Johns, two of the senior care team explained the difference this new cinema room facility would make and it was wonderful to hear their enthusiasm of how they saw the room being used. I hope they’ll be needing a new projector bulb soon!
After ice cream, popcorn and tea I left St Oswalds to visit the Marie Curie Adult Hospice in Newcastle. One of 9 Marie Curie hospices in the UK, it is an amazing facility and one that we will look to help later this year…
INSTALLER COMMENTS:
” …”
Gary Chapman, Creative Install
VENUE COMMENTS:
”I first worked with Ian and Together For Cinema in 2012 when the cinema equipment was installed in the Children's Services. The installation was carried out at no cost to ourselves thanks to the generosity of Together for Cinema and the manufacturers, suppliers and installation company, all of whom were incredibly helpful during the whole process. This has been a fantastic facility for us to have, and has given so many children and their families so much fun and experiences together over the years since installation.
Therefore when the opportunity arose in 2021 from Together For Cinema for a possible additional installation, although their focus had been in Children's Hospices, I contacted Ian to ask if he would consider an installation of cinema equipment in our new Family Room on the Adult Inpatient unit. Ian kindly agreed to visit St Oswald’s Hospice to discuss further. We explained that the Family Room had recently been constructed, which enabled patients and their families to get make memories together away from their beds.
Our Social Workers had coincidentally arranged for a projector to be loaned to St Oswald’s Hospice and they told Ian how this had enabled a family to watch ‘It's a Wonderful Life’, together for the last time at the Hospice, as they weren't able to get to the cinema as they had previously done. It also enabled another patient to watch Elf together with their young grandchild. He recognised that over time situations had changed and that there were many younger patients now in adult hospices, many with young children or grandchildren. We were therefore thrilled when he agreed to a cinema installation in our Adult Inpatient unit, hopefully the first of many others.
Thanks to Ian’s tenacity and foresight, together with the generosity of the suppliers, manufacturers and the installation company, the project went ahead successfully and on target. We were able to have this facility available for our patients and their families in December 2022 – meaning they were able to share and make precious memories together in the last days of their lives.
There have subsequently been so many memories and happy times experienced, such as Christmas film nights, live streams of graduations and weddings – with many more planned for the future. It is without doubt that this could not have been achieved without the generosity and team work of all those involved.
Thank you Ian and Together For Cinema.”
Jane Hamblin, Head of Facilities, St Oswald’s Hospice.
GUEST COMMENTS:
“I’m very proud of the northeast and this region. And as I work in the film industry in front of camera I was of course delighted to be asked to help open the new cinema room at St Oswald’ Hospice. Bringing the cinema experience into an intimate setting will help make so many happy memories.
St Oswald’s Hospice does that so well, helping make the happiest memories they can for the families that are here.
Together For Cinema is a great organisation and I am so impressed by the quality and impact of the end result. You can tell when talking to Ian and Gary that they have both made every effort to secure the best equipment, and deliver the best cinema experience that they could. The end result is pretty cool and will make such a difference to so many, for years and years to come. Well done everyone involved.”
Dave Johns. British Stand Up Comedian, BIFA Award Winning Actor and Writer. Star of films such as I, Daniel Blake, Fisherman’s Friends and Fisherman’s Friends: One and All.
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN MAKING IT HAPPEN:
THANK YOU…, you have helped make a real difference at St Oswalds, and in turn, have made a real difference to so many people’s lives.
FINANCIALS:
This installation is another Together for Cinema ‘make a difference’ installation that will be appreciated by so many at St Oswalds of all ages, from the very young to the very old. Had it been a paid for installation the total cost, including consultation, design, installation and all the products would have been in the region of £28,000.
SUMMARY:
This was Together for Cinema’s 37th good cause cinema room installation and took the Together for Cinema good cause community delivery to over £910,000 worth of installations, had they all been paid for. It’s estimated that we will hit £1,000,000 worth of cinema room installations by the Summer of 2023.
I have to again mention the incredible commitment that Gary Chapman and his team from Creative Install have put in to make this happen. With no financial return they have all simply got on with the job and have delivered something incredibly special. It’s a huge time commitment but I suspect they will all have enjoyed the experience and will have found the journey an emotional one.
We are an industry united to make a difference and none of what Together for Cinema has achieved would have been possible without the comprehensive support of so many. Long may it last!!
“Together for Cinema – together for better”
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For further details please contact Ian Morrish at:-
Work: 01372 454366 ♦ Mobile: 07768 398007 ♦ Email: ian@ad-con.uk
www.togetherforcinema.co.uk
Report Created by Ian Morrish. All quotes to be from Ian Morrish, unless otherwise stated.
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