'So special and important' - Cinema opens for families at Children's hospital in Birmingham

The cinema has been described as the largest UK at a premiere on Tuesday night, March 3.

The creation of the 84-seat MediCinem follows a £1m fundraising appeal by Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity and MediCinema.

The MediCinema creates a space where patients and families, who sometimes spend weeks and months in hospital, can spend quality time together away from the wards, providing meaningful respite, reducing feelings of isolation, anxiety and stress and providing some normality during what can be challenging times.

The cinema will screen the latest films at no cost to the patients or the NHS.

Ten-year-old patient Ella and Disney’s iconic Mickey and Minnie Mouse were the stars of the show on Tuesday as they officially opened the new 84-seat venue, before patients across the hospital were treated to an exclusive preview of the brand-new Disney and Pixar film “Hoppers”, ahead of its national release on Friday.

Her mum, Becky, said: “We’ve been in hospital for just over two weeks. It’s really tough for Ella to be away from home and from her little sister Olivia, so to have somewhere they can go and spend time together, away from the bedside, is so special.

“Ella is also a massive movie fan and we love going to the cinema as a family. We’ve been following the progress of the MediCinema for some time now, so to be here for the first screening is amazing. She’s been so excited about it and I know she’ll talk about it for weeks.

“We’re due to be in hospital for another three weeks while the infection clears, so I’m sure we’ll be back again to watch another film.”

One social media user, wrote: “Unless your child has been unfortunate to be a long stay patient, I don’t think you can truly appreciate how special and important this is.

“Fabulous to see this opening. When my daughter was in oncology, we would sort some movie nights in the play room with other children on the ward, those were special, but to have a proper cinema is now incredible for these children.”

What’s been said?

Daljit Athwal, chief nursing and midwifery officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “To see the excitement on the faces of the children at the screening was pure magic. The MediCinema is already making a massive difference.

“We know lengthy stays in hospital can impact an entire family’s physical and mental health, with patients often feeling isolated from their parents, siblings and friends. This often affects their overall wellbeing and recovery. Our MediCinema will help change that and we feel so privileged to be able to provide this opportunity for our children.”

Mark Brider, CEO of Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, added: “To see the ‘curtain go up’ on our new MediCinema is simply incredible. For our children to be transported from their clinical surroundings into a space where they can forget about being a patient for a short while, enjoying the latest Disney release with their family, is a gamechanger for every child’s experience at our hospital.

“We’re so very grateful to all our donors who really understood the impact our MediCinema will have on our patients and families and gave so generously to make it a reality.”