The Manchester MediCinema Appeal – fronted by Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff – has today reached a fantastic £308,000 milestone, thanks to the generosity of hundreds of supporters, including individuals, community groups and businesses from across Manchester and the North West.

Our Appeal aims to build Manchester’s first-ever in-hospital cinema. Donations will fund the build and initial running costs of a fully accessible 50-seat cinema, delivered in partnership with BAFTA Award-winning charity MediCinema, bringing movie magic to thousands of patients treated at the Trust’s Oxford Road Campus, including Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary.

The Appeal, which was launched earlier this month by the former England cricket captain and Top Gear presenter, Freddie Flintoff, has since received public support from several high-profile figures including Wayne and Coleen Rooney, Phil Jones, football legend Bryan Robson, footballer Mason Mount, cricketers Jimmy Anderson and Jos Buttler, comedian Jason Manford, former Radio1 DJ Wes Butters, and Charity patrons Jennie McAlpine and Kelly Condron.

The £1.1m Appeal has also been backed by players from Manchester United Football Club, including Senne Lammens, Ayden Heaven, Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton in a series of social media videos, with players urging the community to band together for the cause.

The MediCinema will transform an unused lecture theatre in Manchester Royal Infirmary into a purpose-built space featuring cinema-style seating, room for wheelchairs, hospital beds and medical equipment, and inclusive features such as subtitles, audio description and sensory-friendly screenings. Up to 260 films a year will be shown, supported by MediCinema nurses and trained volunteers, with capacity for personalised screenings for patients in particularly sensitive circumstances.

The landmark was reached just over a week after the appeal passed the £250,000 mark, thanks to generous backing from supporters across Greater Manchester and brings the Appeal to over a quarter of its final fundraising goal.

Celebrating the latest fundraising milestone Freddie Flintoff said: “Passing £300,000 is a fantastic milestone – made possible by the hundreds of generous donors from across Manchester.

“It’s so wonderful and inspiring to see the community band together to support such an important cause. This MediCinema will mean the world to thousands of patients in hospital, including children in Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Every pound helps bring this amazing project to life.”

Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Chair of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re delighted to announce that our MediCinema Appeal has raised a remarkable £308,000 in such a short space of time, and we’re so very grateful to the hundreds of individuals, groups and businesses who have got us this far, particularly at such a busy and expensive time of year.

“I urge anyone who is able to support the Appeal to do so, no matter how small the contribution – every single act of generosity really will make a lasting difference for children and adults, and their families, who are cared for in our hospitals.”