Together for Cinema has completed a cinema room installation at Keech Hospice Care Children’s Hospice just north of Luton, in Bedfordshire.
The AV charity scheme has provided a multi-purpose cinema room for staff, children and their families to enjoy, with all resources donated by members of the custom install industry.
Keech Hospice Care provides support for adults and children with life-limiting and terminal illnesses, working across Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. The children’s hospice specialises in providing care throughout the child’s illness and into bereavement, both at the Luton Hospice and also at the family home through the community nursing team.
Initial contact with Ian Morrish, founder of Together for Cinema, regarding the installation of a home cinema room was made by Keech Hospice Care Children’s Hospice in 2011. However, it wasn’t until three years after that the timing was right for planning to begin. Having showed interest in the scheme, UK based installer, SmartComm Ltd, offered its services, and Ian suggested that the Keech Hospice Care project would be a good opportunity for them.
“Our first site visit brought with it so many emotions” Guy Murray from Smartcom Ltd said. “There was no doubt in our minds that we must provide these lovely children, parents, families and nurses with a space where they can quite simply relax, smile, laugh and enjoy time together.”
SmartComm was committed to creating a cinema room that could also be used for training, fundraising and gaming. Having selected the new dining room as the area for the cinema, an ambitious kit list was put together, and thanks to the generosity within the AV industry, the necessary equipment was sourced quickly. Brands such as Arcam, ConnectorCo, Crestron, CYP, Dataflow IT, Epson, Kaleidescape, Middle Atlantic, Monitor Audio, Unicol and Wyrestorm all donated products.
“The provided space was a challenge, as it was a very large space with lots of natural daylight,” comments Guy. “The projection screen and speaker positioning had to allow for children in beds to watch films from the back of the room, whilst ensuring that entrances, exists and fire escapes were all kept clear. Control of the system was also a major consideration. It had to be a robust fixed solution with an extremely user-friendly interface, allowing anyone to turn the system on and off, select a film or connect a laptop.”

The installation was completed in just one week, with the approximate end-user costs including consultation, installation, and products totaling £19,000.
“On behalf of Keech Hospice Care, I would like to thank everyone involved wholeheartedly for their generosity in providing us with a projector and screen for our cinema and conference room,” said David Rigg, Buildings Manager at Keech Hospice Care Children’s Hospice. “The equipment is very useful for ‘Sparklers’, our support group for siblings of our life-limited children. As part of a programme of fun activities, they use the screen for watching films, which provides a much needed break from the reality of having a very ill sibling.
“Our bereavement support team also uses the equipment when conducting six week training courses for our highly values bereavement volunteers. The high quality of the screen enables our trainers to deliver their presentations professionally, giving the volunteers a better introduction to the important work they do for Keech Hospice Care. “Your generosity is of great benefit to everyone at Keech Hospice Care in our work to deliver our specialist palliative care for adults and children.
Together for Cinema has two more projects planned during summer 2016, which will take the number of completed projects to 17 by the end of the year. Together for Cinema is aiming to complete 25 cinema room installations by the end of 2020.
Donated Tech-Spec:
* Arcam (AV Receiver): FMJ AVR450
* ConnectorCo (Cables and Connectors): 4 x 1m HDMI cables, speaker cable, CAT5 and various connectors
* Crestron (Control): MC3 control and a TSW-750 touch panel
* CYP (Converter): SY-P293 converter
* Dataflow IT (Screen): A 119 inch low voltage control screen with R/C
* Epson (Projector): EH-TW9100 projector
* Kaleidescape (Media Server): Cinema 1
* Middle Atlantic, donated by RGB Communications (Racking): A 12U MFR Series rack including doors and a power distribution unit.
* Monitor Audio (Speakers): 7 x CT380-IDC ceiling speakers and a Mass W200 sub-woofer.
* Unicol (Ceiling Mount For Projector): 1 x CPI, 1 x Pole and 1 x PSU for the projector
* Wyrestorm (HDMI Extender): 1 x EX-1UTP-IR-100-POH
* Other accessories were donated directly by Smartcomm Ltd
Together for Cinema