ISCVE’s operational partner, Together for Cinema, recently hosted it’s Million Pound Dinner. A celebration of reaching the grand milestone of a million pounds’ worth of cinema room installations into children’s hospices and other deserving venues across the UK. The generosity of those attending the event also helped to ensure the Community Interest Company can continue to extend the development of its good work into the future.

Held in May at Surrey’s famous Epsom Racecourse, the event attracted more than 300 people from Together For Cinema’s charitable partners, including manufacturers, distributors and installers, all selflessly have given their time and expertise to install cinema rooms in 45 children’s hospices and other deserving venues across the UK, along with representatives from sa number of beneficiary venues.

“The aim of the evening was to celebrate the residential AV industry coming together to make a difference to individuals and their families facing the complexities of illness and adversity,” says Together For Cinema Founder, Ian Morrish. “It certainly did that and the comments from people saying what a wonderful time they had were heartwarming to say the least.”

Entertainment was provided by The One and Only Chesney Hawkes who, along with his wife Krissy, is a patron of White Lodge Centre in Chertsey, which provides services and support for people of all ages with disabilities, and Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice in Arundel, West Sussex. The evening also featured a live auction with prizes ranging from a Formula 2 hospitality day with the Hitech Racing Team, a brand-new Epson EH-LS650B projector and a meet and greet with snooker legend Jimmy White, plus the chance to sing live on stage at the end of the evening with Chesney, all donated by those attending.

The evening ended with a raucous rendition of The One and Only from Mark Davis from GLO AV and Harry Hawkins from Flux London, ‘supported’ by Chesney, who agreed to share the star prize after an incredible bidding war. A total of £20,200 was raised from the auction and a little later, in an astounding show of generosity, Future Automation’s owner, Alun Williams, matched the auction revenue generated, giving a grand total of over £45,000 raised at the dinner.

“When Together For Cinema started, it was a part time project for me,” Ian recalls. “It’s taken on a life of its own and, with the collective goodwill of the industry, has achieve more than I could ever have dreamed of. It’s hard to put into words what a difference has already been made, and it’s wonderful to know that with this extra financial boost, we can do even more.”

“I made this donation as part of the Together for Cinema celebration dinner to further support their mission of creating inspiring and transformative cinema installations,” adds Alun. “These spaces provide the opportunity for much-needed moments of joy and escape for children and their families during challenging times. I am proud to support this incredible cause.”

As Chesney so aptly concludes, “What wonderful and important work Together For Cinema does for hospices up and down the country. They are helping families through the hardest of times. I was honoured to have played a small part in an incredible celebration of amazing achievements. Here’s to the next million!”

Find out More:

togetherforcinema.co.uk