Last year we introduced readers to the UK-based organization Together for Cinema, which works with children’s hospices to donate home theaters.
Together for Cinema founder Ian Morrish joined CE Pro from England for this week’s podcast to fill us in on the latest goals now that the group reached its original 25 installation milestone, as well as how the custom industry can get involved.
From humble beginnings working with UK charity Together for Short Lives to connect with children’s hospices around England, Morrish has guided the charitable endeavor while working as sales manager for the Integrated Systems Europe show.
After gaining some traction with the initial installations to benefit the children and parents served by the hospices, word began to spread and Morrish’s organization found greater support, willing integrators and welcoming recipients of the custom industry’s generosity.
During the challenges of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Morrish wound up parting ways with ISE after 13 years and made Together for Cinema the full-time focus with a new goal that’s well on its way. In 2021, the group is already working on four projects in various stages of progress: Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, with Bespoke Home Cinemas doing the install; Rose Road Association in Southampton, Hampshire, and Wessex AV installing; Claire House Children’s Hospice in Bebbington, The Wirral; and Reubens Retreat in Glossop, Derbyshire.
The group can use all the help it can get, so CE Pro was happy to spread Morrish’s message as well as contact info, which can be found here. Morrish invites people to email him as well at [email protected].
Together for Cinema counts myriad sponsors Morrish is grateful for that represent numerous home theater technology categories; when he shows and tells more about the results to those who are interested, the prospect of participation resonates.
“[It’s those stories that are] key, that’s what people really want to hear about. It’s kids who are having a tough time enjoying a movie, cuddling up with mom and losing themselves for an hour – special time, it really is, and not just for the kids but for their parents, their siblings,” Morris says. “It’s that environment … it’s wearing, so you need a bit of a break and this is a great release for them.”
He adds that for both manufacturers and integrators, one great way that’s a win-win-win scenario is recycling old gear through Together for Cinema. There’s plenty of life left in lots of used inventory that dealers can donate and suppliers can offload to help support the cause and still deliver some home theater joy to hospices. Morrish notes that old content is still usable too, like in a LinkedIn post he shared about recycling DVDs.
Hear much more from Morrish by watching or listening to the podcast above. Find past episodes of the CE Pro Podcast by subscribing to the CE Pro YouTube channel or our Apple and Spotify podcast feeds.