{"id":608525,"date":"2025-12-03T01:13:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T01:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/608525\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T01:13:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T01:13:26","slug":"wayne-and-coleen-rooney-first-to-back-appeal-to-raise-over-1m-for-cinema-at-manchester-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/608525\/","title":{"rendered":"Wayne and Coleen Rooney first to back appeal to raise over \u00a31m for cinema at Manchester hospitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coleen and Wayne have backed the campaign, launched by Freddie Flintoff\"ColeenColeen and Wayne have backed the campaign, launched by Freddie Flintoff(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

The Rooneys are among the first to back Freddie Flintoff’s appeal to raise \u00a31m for a new cinema at hospitals in Manchester. The former cricketer and Top Gear presenter is now calling on everyone across Greater Manchester and beyond to donate \u00a32 to make the MediCinema a reality.<\/p>\n

The plan promises to bring the magic of the movies to ‘thousands’ of patients across the city – including kids at the Royal Manchester Children’s hospital. In a video message launching the appeal, Mr Flintoff said it will be ‘almost like a Christmas<\/a> present for Manchester’.<\/p>\n

The campaign, led by the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, aims to build a fully accessible 50-seat cinema for patients at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary, among others.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the project, Flintoff said: \u201cI\u2019m delighted to support the Manchester MediCinema Appeal, which will bring the magic of movies to children and adults in hospital right here in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome patients are in hospital for months, even years, which makes a simple trip to the cinema impossible. This MediCinema will change that for thousands of patients every single year – being able to enjoy a film with their family really will mean the world.”<\/p>\n

\"FreddieFreddie Flintoff has launched the \u00a31.1m campaign(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

Coleen Rooney shared the social media video of Freddie to her Instagram story on Tuesday (December 2). She said in a statement that the family previously supported the MediCinema at Alder Hey, in Merseyside – which opened just last year.<\/p>\n

“We have supported the MediCinema at Alder Hey and we know what joy it brings to patients by taking their minds off the reason they are in hospital,” she said.<\/p>\n

The Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, which supports Manchester University NHS<\/a> Foundation Trust\u2019s family of 10 hospitals, says the \u00a31.1m will fund the build and initial running of the cinema at no extra cost to the NHS.<\/p>\n

Flintoff added: \u201cIf everyone across Manchester donated just \u00a32 this Christmas \u2013 less than a cup of coffee \u2013 we could hit the \u00a31.1m target to bring this amazing cinema to life and make this the best Christmas gift our city could give.\u201d<\/p>\n

Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n

The ‘state-of-the-art’ cinema will be housed in an old, non-clinical lecture theatre in Manchester Royal Infirmary. It will feature cinema-style seating, space for wheelchairs, hospital beds and medical equipment, as well as accessibility features, including subtitles, audio description, and sensory-friendly screenings.<\/p>\n

Around 260 films a year will be shown, the charity says, with dedicated MediCinema nurses and trained volunteers supporting every screening. The space will also be able to host personal screenings for patients in exceptionally sensitive circumstances.<\/p>\n

In a video promoting the campaign, Mr Flintoff added: “The hospital’s been so important to my family over the years. Three of our kids have been born there and it’s a place we go when we need help the most.<\/p>\n

“And I know how important it must be to you too. Not just in the city, but also further afield. The cinema will make such a difference to thousands of patients each year. Especially those who are in for a long stay, the ones who can’t go home, unfortunately, to visit family and friends.”<\/p>\n

Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Chair of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust added: \u201cWe\u2019re incredibly grateful to everyone who is supporting this Appeal. The MediCinema will have a lasting positive impact on thousands of patients across our hospitals \u2013 providing moments of normality during challenging hospital stays.”<\/p>\n

To donate, text CINEMA and your chosen amount (up to \u00a320) to 70580 or visit Manchester Foundation Trust Charity\u2019s website to give any amount.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Coleen and Wayne have backed the campaign, launched by Freddie FlintoffColeen and Wayne have backed the campaign, launched…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,17302,393,4884,2465,211,46006,16,15,14349],"class_list":{"0":"post-608525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-coleen-rooney","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-nhs","14":"tag-royal-manchester-childrens-hospital","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-wayne-rooney"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115652985747527534","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}