Children's hospital unveils new cinema for families

Young patients at Birmingham Children's Hospital attended a red carpet premiere to mark the opening of a new 84 seat hospital cinema, described as the largest of its kind in the UK.

Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity unveiled the new MediCinema on Tuesday, with a special preview screening of the Pixar film Hoppers ahead of its national release on 6 March.

Special guests Mickey and Minnie Mouse joined patients for the launch event.

The fully accessible cinema has been created following a £1m fundraising appeal by the hospital charity and MediCinema, including a significant donation from Disney, a partner of the charity.

Organisers said the new facility would provide a dedicated space away from wards where children and their families, some of whom spend weeks or months in hospital, could spend time together.

The £1m project saw the hospital's lecture theatre converted into the state-of-the-art cinema for evenings and weekends, while still being used for training and education during the day.

A spokesperson for the hospital charity said the cinema would help improve wellbeing and offer a sense of normality during what could be an anxious and difficult period for families.

The charity said the MediCinema would give children the chance to enjoy the big screen experience without leaving hospital, creating positive memories at a challenging time.

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