Big heart, big hopes: a Surrey charity fights for a £10,000 prize to expand cinema rooms in hospices.
But here’s where it gets controversial: this funding could transform comfort for seriously ill children, yet the competition’s payoff is far from guaranteed.
Together for Cinema, a community interest company based in Great Bookham, is one of 10 finalists in Selco Builders Warehouse’s national Community Heroes contest. The prize package includes a top award of £10,000, plus £5,000 and £2,500 awards for other finalists.
Founded 16 years ago by Ian Morrish, the group has created 58 home-style cinema rooms in children’s hospices and other care settings across the United Kingdom. Mr Morrish recalls the moment he realized the project mattered: after watching a TV programme about a holiday home for children facing life-limiting illnesses, he reached out to see how the audio/visual community could help. Within about 12 months, the first cinema room was up and running.
If the current initiative reaches completion, the 58 installations would have cost well over £1.5 million, according to Mr Morrish. In Surrey, cinema rooms have already been established at Christopher’s Shooting Star Children’s Hospices in Guildford, the White Lodge Centre in Chertsey, and Cherry Trees in East Clandon.
The mission is deeply personal for Morrish. He explains that seeing children and their families unwind in a familiar cinema environment—right in a place where medical needs can be attended to immediately—feels incredibly meaningful.
Finishing touches matter
The Selco Community Heroes campaign, now in its fifth year, pairs charities and community groups with donated building materials and financial support. Beyond the £10,000 top prize, other awards of £5,000 and £2,500 are available.
For Together for Cinema, winning the top prize would be significant. Morrish calls it “a lot of money” for an organization of their size and explains that the extra funds would let them add those final touches that truly elevate each cinema room—elements like twinkling ceiling lights and additional acoustic panels.
The team already has seven installations planned for next year, and Morrish believes that those finishing touches could make all the difference.
A winner will be chosen by public vote and announced in January.
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