Former England cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff and his wife Rachael are backing an appeal to raise £1.1m to build Manchester’s first in-hospital cinema.
The fully accessible 50-seat cinema would be specially kitted out to enable patients of all ages – including those at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital – to enjoy watching films.
Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff said raising enough to fund the MediCinema at Manchester Royal Infirmary would “be almost like a Christmas present for Manchester”.
In a video on social media, he said the Manchester MediCinema Appeal would make “such a difference to thousands of patients each year, especially those in for a long stay”.
Having been launched by the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity earlier this month, the appeal has already raised more than £300,000, which Flintoff said was “a fantastic milestone made possible by the hundreds of generous donors from across Manchester”.
“It’s so wonderful and inspiring to see the community band together to support such an important cause,” he added.
He urged people to keep donating so the target could be reached by the end of the month.
A Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said donations would fund the build and initial running costs of the cinema, which would be delivered in partnership with Bafta award-winning charity MediCinema.
The MediCinema would be built in a former lecture theatre in the Manchester Royal Infirmary and would be open to all of the trust’s sites, on its Oxford Road campus.
It would feature cinema-style seating, room for wheelchairs, hospital beds and medical equipment, and inclusive features such as subtitles, audio descriptions and sensory-friendly screenings.
Up to 260 films a year would be shown, supported by MediCinema nurses and trained volunteers, with capacity for personalised screenings for patients in particularly sensitive circumstances, a trust spokesperson said.
Kathy Cowell, chair of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said they were “so very grateful to the hundreds of individuals, groups and businesses who have got us this far, particularly at such a busy and expensive time of year”.
The appeal has also been backed by Wayne and Coleen Rooney, comedian Jason Manford and players from Manchester United Football Club, including Senne Lammens, Ayden Heaven, Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton.