The family of a young boy with severe respiratory issues is supporting our appeal to bring a BAFTA-winning MediCinema to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s Oxford Road hospital campus.

Mum to two-year-old Marley, Hayley Evans, 28, said her son’s health journey began when he was just eight weeks old, after she noticed that he was having difficulty breathing and was making seizure-like movements.

Recognising the signs of epilepsy, Hayley sought urgent help at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH), where six-month-old Marley was diagnosed with the disorder and started treatment. He was later also diagnosed with pharyngeal dysphagia with silent aspiration, severe reflux, asthma and respiratory problems.

Hayley said: “At first, it was terrifying, watching your baby struggle for every breath is something you never forget. For a long time, our life revolved around two-to-four-week cycles of hospital admissions for Marley’s breathing difficulties, feeding problems and infections.

“I learnt how to spot the warning signs and to deal with what was happening. In a way, I became desensitised to it, I think it was a way for me to cope.”

Since then, Marley has required around 17 admissions to the hospital’s High Dependency Unit and numerous other RMCH wards. In August, he underwent gastrostomy surgery to fit a feeding tube.

Hayley added: “Marley’s conditions are largely invisible. His aspiration and swallow issues are quite rare and are largely still unexplained despite genetic testing.

“Life with Marley’s conditions can be challenging. He began tube feeding at six months old. We must be very careful about where we go, things like soft play or toddler groups just aren’t possible because of the infection risk. Marley picks up viruses easily and often ends up back in hospital needing oxygen.

“It makes it difficult to plan family days out due to the level of care that he requires. I can sometimes feel judged by other parents who might not understand his condition.”

The care Marley has received at RMCH has inspired his family to support our appeal to bring a state-of-the-art MediCinema to the Trust’s Oxford Road hospital campus, helping other patients who spend long periods in hospital experience moments of normality and joy.

Hayley said that an onsite cinema would be transformative for patients like Marley, providing them with the opportunity to relax and socialise away from the ward.

Delivered in partnership with BAFTA Award-winning charity MediCinema, this fully accessible 50-seat cinema will support patients from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary’s Hospital, and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

The cinema will be housed in an old, non-clinical lecture theatre in Manchester Royal Infirmary, with its location well placed for adult and child patients. It will feature cinema-style seating, space for wheelchairs, hospital beds and medical equipment, and accessibility features including subtitles, audio description, and sensory-friendly screenings.

Around 260 films a year will be shown, with dedicated MediCinema nurses and trained volunteers supporting every screening, and the facility will also be able to host personal screenings for patients in exceptionally sensitive circumstances.

The £1.1m appeal will fund the build and initial running costs, delivering the cinema at no cost to the NHS and giving patients the chance to share joyful experiences and create treasured memories during long hospital stays.

Hayley added: “The MediCinema will be somewhere children can feel like children again, not patients in hospital. For Marley, it would give him something exciting to look forward to between treatments. It would mean being together as a family in a calm space that doesn’t feel clinical.

“It’s not just about watching a film, it’s about helping children feel normal again, giving parents a moment to exhale, and creating little pockets of happiness during really hard times.”

Also supporting our MediCinema Appeal is sixteen-year-old Ayuub Al-Asad from Rochdale, who has been living in hospital for a year and eight months after a sudden illness left him paralysed from the neck down.

After experiencing sharp stomach pain in February 2024, Ayyub was admitted to RMCH, where he spent three months ventilated on the Intensive Care Unit.

In just a matter of hours, he was diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare condition which affects the spinal cord and left him paralysed from the neck down. The condition also caused a collapsed lung and resulted in a loss of bladder and bowel control.

Although Ayyub regained some movement in his arms, his legs, bladder, and bowel remain paralysed. He underwent a tracheostomy in May 2024 to support his breathing and remained on ventilation for five months until its removal in October.

Ayuub said: “I was fifteen years old when I became ill, I should have been revising for my GCSE’s and hanging out with friends. Instead, it felt like my life had been put on complete standstill, there were times where I questioned what I did to deserve this and why it had happened to me.

“People ask me whether I was born with this condition, I explain that my life changed in just one day. It has taken awhile for me to get to a place of acceptance, where I can finally look forward to the future.”

Having regained strength and independence through specialist rehabilitation during his time in hospital, Ayyub believes a MediCinema would provide a welcome escape for other teenage patients enduring long-term hospital stays.

Ayyub said: “Having a cinema in hospital would make a huge difference. It would give kids and teenagers the chance to watch their favourite films and make memories even when they can’t go out.

“It’s little things like that which really lift your spirits and make long stays easier, especially being able to socialise with patients of a similar age. I’d go to the cinema if I wasn’t in hospital and it would make a long stay feel more like everyday life.”

Rachael Flintoff, the patron who introduced MFT Charity to MediCinema, says: “When I first saw the MediCinema in person, I was blown away by how transformative it is.

“I immediately knew how much it would benefit the children and patients cared for across Manchester Foundation Trust. For patients spending long periods on hospital wards, being able to escape into a film, even for a short while, can make a huge difference to their wellbeing and sense of normality.

“As the country’s largest NHS trust, the fantastic impact this cinema could have on MFT patients, as well as the communities across Manchester and beyond is simply incredible.”

Kimberley Salmon-Jamieson, Interim Deputy Chief Executive & Chief Nursing Officer, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We’re excited to be able to deliver a MediCinema for our patients here on our Oxford Road hospital campus.

“This dedicated cinema space will provide both adult and child patients with a welcome distraction from the clinical environment – helping to support emotional wellbeing, reduce feelings of isolation, and aid recovery.

“With MediCinema nurses available to provide any necessary care and support during screenings, the cinema will offer a safe and therapeutic experience that will bring comfort, connection, and moments of joy during treatment.”

Colin Lawrence, CEO MediCinema said: “We know that the new MediCinema at MFT will bring significant benefit to patients and their families.  For over twenty-five years our MediCinemas have seen thousands of people come through the doors, and in doing so, leave the difficulties faced on the wards behind to go to a film screening in their hospital.

“Our multiyear partnership with the Charity and Hospital Trust means that by working together we can design programmes specifically aligned to the needs of the patient community and therefore be of benefit to thousands over the long term.

“Via our regular inpatient screenings, tailored screenings for specific clinical groups, and individual screenings for those in sensitive situations, the MediCinema will be accessible to so many receiving treatments for years to come.”

Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Chair of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are thrilled to launch our appeal to bring a MediCinema to our Oxford Road Campus hospitals.

“With the support of organisations, community groups, and individuals, we will give patients of all ages the chance to experience the magic of cinema during their stay in our hospitals.

“This appeal is about so much more than entertainment – it’s about creating moments of joy, easing isolation, and supporting recovery in a truly meaningful way.”