This week, efforts to introduce a special cinema experience for children and families in Manchester hospitals advanced significantly. The Manchester MediCinema Appeal has secured £579,000 in donations, reaching the midpoint of its £1.1 million fundraising goal. Supported by former cricketer Freddie Flintoff and organized by the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, the initiative focuses on constructing a fully accessible 50-seat cinema serving patients at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary, and nearby facilities.
Flintoff launched the campaign on December 1, urging regional support to realize the project. Once operational, the MediCinema will host up to 260 film screenings annually. Nurses and trained volunteers will assist, providing patients and their loved ones with opportunities for relaxation, connection, and relief amid challenging medical journeys.
A Glimpse at Alder Hey’s MediCinema
To showcase the potential impact, a visit to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool revealed the success of a similar setup, operational since November 2024. The facility’s first user was 11-year-old Nancy Groome, who recently returned as an inpatient with her mother, Sian, an ICU nurse at the hospital.
Nancy shared her enthusiasm: “I think it’s really good. It’s great that I’m in the hospital and I can just come up to watch a film. It’s a great distraction. We’ve been in for two weeks now and we’ve come here twice. It’s really nice to relax and watch a film and get out the room.”
Sian noted that Nancy has visited the hospital multiple times in recent years, and they prioritize cinema outings during stays. “I was the first kid in a hospital bed at the cinema and watched Moana Two,” Nancy added. “I’ve watched The Fantastic Four. I’ve watched a film about monkeys but I can’t remember the name.” Other favorites include Avatar and Zootropolis.
Sian highlighted the shared experience: “There are other kids in their pyjamas and with medical equipment. So everyone is in the same boat and everyone else looks like this as well because they’ve been here as well.” She emphasized feeling fortunate for the cinema, which encourages socialization beyond patient rooms. “It’s nice just to get out of those four walls,” Sian said. “With Nancy’s condition, when she was really poorly, she came on a hospital bed. She’s been in a wheelchair and on the recliner seats. No matter how poorly you are, they cater for all your medical equipment. You’re not left out. And there’s always the two nurses there so you feel safe as well.”
The cinema operates free of charge to families, easing financial burdens during treatment. Situated on an upper floor, it converts a plain corridor into an inviting space with neon accents and vibrant movie posters reminiscent of commercial theaters.
Transforming a Lecture Hall into a Haven
The MediCinema at Alder Hey resulted from renovating a dated 1970s lecture theater into a lively venue featuring colorful, comfortable seating and dedicated areas for hospital beds and wheelchairs. Chief Nurse Nathan Askew spearheaded the idea, drawing from his early career experience at Guy’s and St Thomas’s in London.
Askew, 44, described the cinema’s profound effects: “When I was a newly qualified nurse, I worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’s in London who had one of the first MediCinemas in their old medical school. We used to take the kids over on a Saturday and it just got them off the ward and it was such a great idea.”
He continued: “Just seeing the difference it makes to children, young people and their families to be able to get out of their care environment, have a break from sort of the monotony of being in hospital and have some normality. I think it’s amazing that through that partnership with MediCinema UK, we get to see all of the latest movies. I think when I describe the cinema to people, they often think it’s a bit like the wet play TV that used to get rolled out in school. And it’s not. It’s a 4K screen, surround sound. When that door closes it is like a full cinema experience. It’s phenomenal.”
Key Benefits for Patients and Families
Askew outlined major advantages, noting the cinema imposes no costs on the NHS. It fosters family bonding and accommodates private viewings for those unable to join group sessions. The hospital explores film’s role in easing pre-surgery anxiety, leveraging the space’s adaptability for studies.
“To be able to escape that room, the knowledge of your condition, the treatments that you’re going through and to be able to just have a couple of hours of normality with your friends, your family, your loved ones,” Askew stated. “I don’t think there’s a price you can put on that.”
The design prioritizes comfort, entertainment, and safety. “We have our standard seating, which is amazing,” Askew explained. “We’ve also got a big open floor space. That’s really versatile; it allows children and young people in wheelchairs or on their beds to come in. So, actually, you don’t even need to leave your bed to come to the cinema. We have a small amount of medical equipment just for any emergencies that we hope never happen but we need to be prepared because we’re in hospital. And the most important thing is that our cinema actually is staffed by two Alder Hey nurses who work for the charity for every screening and their sole responsibility is to make sure that the medical care happens around the children.”
Donations to accelerate movie magic for Manchester patients are welcome at mftcharity.org.uk.
