Rakhee ushers in new movie room at hospice
IT was lights, camera, action at Rainbows when TV star Rakhee Thakrar opened a cinema.
Rakhee, who has starred in EastEnders and Netflix’s Sex Education, cut the ribbon as the hospice’s facility was premiered.
The Cinema Room can accommodate wheelchairs, beds and up to eight people.
Children, young people and their families will be able to use the room at any time during their visit, while making the space fit their needs whether that is fun and lively or tranquil and relaxed with a ceiling of twinkling lights.
Rakhee, from Leicester, who will appear in the 2023 blockbuster Wonka, said she was delighted to open the room.
She said: “I think this is amazing. I can’t believe how special it is. When you walk in, it is totally immersive and definitely has the wow factor. It will be a wonderful place for families to make memories together and that is what Rainbows is all about.”
Anne-Marie Rosak, head of nursing and clinical operations at Rainbows, said: “This really will be a fantastic addition to our wonderful facilities.
“For the families who are staying at Rainbows because their child is receiving end-of-life care or palliative symptom control care, this Cinema Room will be a place where they can make special memories.
“It is suitable for beds and wheelchairs and it will be a place to spend quality time as a family.
“For many of our young people at the hospice, it is about freedom, being independent and choosing whatever films they wish to watch.”
Bushra Zahid, 20, has congenital muscular dystrophy and used Rainbows. She said: “It is really beautiful and feels like a proper cinema. This is really important to us because going to an actual cinema can be difficult for us.”
The room was created by Together for Cinema, an AV industry “good cause” enterprise, whose key focus is on designing and installing home cinema rooms in children’s hospices and other suitable locations across the UK.
Anne-Marie said: “We can’t thank Together for Cinema enough for making this happen at our hospice.
“Previously we used our conference room as a cinema, but that never felt like a cinema experience. This is much more intimate.”
Ian Morrish, founder of Together For Cinema said: “This is our 32nd cinema room installation. Each is as special as the last as they all bring a great deal of joy and escapism.”