Medicinema: Making A Trip To The Cinema Possible

Lisa and John recently attended the MediCinema, Newport with their son Charlie to watch The 3D version of Boxtrolls.

“We all as a family really enjoyed the film it was a 3D movie and we were kindly supplied with glasses by a volunteer. The film was fantastic and was enjoyed very much by us all. It made us all laugh out loud, with a very good baddie and we were very happy to see good win through and a happy ever after for the Boxtrolls”

Their son, Charlie, is four years old and has autism & joint hypermobility syndrome.

Lisa, John and Charlie at Medicinema

He is an outpatient at The Serennu Children’s Centre, where Newport MediCinema is based. The centre itself, is an NHS outpatient day centre for disabled children between the ages of 0 and 18, and is purpose-built to allow children with complex disabilities to receive treatment, care, information and consultation all under one roof, eliminating the need to travel to numerous care facilities.

“As a family the MediCinema has been a wonderful experience for us, as it has enabled us to do an everyday thing that others take for granted – a trip to the cinema! Charlie does not manage large crowded rooms well and of course he may be slightly noisy at first and anxious, but the MediCinema has a lovely intimate atmosphere and being set into Serrenu is already a familiar atmosphere for him. We are relaxed and it gives us a chance to have some family time at the weekend and now Charlie is in school and can keep up with the same trends as his school friends. There is no way I would of yet attempted to take Charlie to a high street cinema he is really enjoying his visits there and so are we.”

MediCinema was established in 1996 by Christine Hill MBE to bring the joy and escapism of cinema to patients undergoing treatment for complex illnesses and injuries in hospitals around the UK. Cinemas are specifically designed to comfortably accommodate wheelchairs and hospital beds whilst maintaining a real and immersive cinema-going experience away from the wards for patients and their families. For more information please visit the Medicinema website: www.medicinema.org.uk