A new state-of-the-art cinema room which will give local children with life-limiting illnesses hours of laughter and joy has been officially opened at Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice.
The room was officially opened last week by children from Jigsaw with the help of Carlisle-born entertainer and 911 singer Lee Brennan. Also in attendance were representatives of Together for Cinema, the charity that made the project happen, and Majik House, the Cumbria-based company that installed the equipment and donated some of the items.
The facility will be used by youngsters who attend Jigsaw, based in Durdar Road, Carlisle, who will be able to spend time enjoying their favourite films and TV shows on the latest audio-visual equipment including hi-spec projectors, screens, lighting and streaming devices. All the products, installation and consultation were donated free of charge to Jigsaw, secured by Together for Cinema, all of which would’ve cost in the region of £19,000 if it had been paid for.
Kate Allison, Team Lead at Jigsaw, said: “The children and their families absolutely love their new cinema room and it is a great addition to our offering at Jigsaw. The room will give families precious time to create memories in a space which is safe and where they can be supported by our dedicated care team. Even though it has just been installed we can see it is already providing plenty of big smiles and we can’t wait to show more of our incredible children and families the room.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to Together for Cinema, Majik House and the other companies who’ve donated their time, expertise and equipment to Jigsaw, it really will make a huge difference to so many lives.”
Lee Brennan said: “It was great to help this wonderful charity open their new cinema room and meet the brilliant staff, children and supporters and learn more about what they do. You can tell the room will be an amazing asset for the youngsters from Jigsaw.”
This was Together For Cinema’s 31st good cause cinema room installation and the charity is getting ever closer to their target of installing 50 cinema rooms by 2026, which would normally cost well in excess of £1 million.
Ian Morrish, founder of Together for Cinema, said: “In partnership with Majik House we are so pleased that we have been able to work with the team at Jigsaw to create a cinema room that will give so much pleasure to so many over the years.
“Our industry often takes for granted what we do day-to-day so it’s wonderful to see the difference we can make when we pull together and make something special happen. This is our 31st good cause installation and they are all as special as each other with each one bringing a sparkle to the day of so many children and young adults.”
Tim Burrow, owner of Majik House, said: “This is one of the most rewarding and most worthy projects to be involved with such a worthy cause.
“Together for Cinema are an incredible organisation and being able to work with them on such a worthy project really has been an honour. Generally working for such privileged clients being able to work for those in need shows another side to the AV (audiovisual) industry and one of which we are proud to say we have been involved in.”
