The family of a young boy with severe respiratory issues is supporting a campaign launched by former international cricket player, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, to bring a MediCinema to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s Oxford Road Campus hospitals.

The campaign marks the launch of a £1.1m appeal to build Manchester’s first MediCinema – a state-of-the-art, fully accessible, in-hospital cinema that will give patients and families a place to relax, socialise and enjoy moments of normality during long or frequent stays.

The Manchester MediCinema Appeal has already received public backing from high-profile figures, including Coleen and Wayne Rooney, former Manchester United footballer Phil Jones, and England and Manchester United legend Bryan Robson, who have all joined Freddie in urging everyone across Manchester to donate just £2 to help raise the funds needed.

Among those also backing the appeal is mum-of-two, Hayley Evans, 28, whose two-year-old son Marley’s health journey began when he was just eight weeks old after she noticed he was having difficulty breathing and 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 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 now inspired his family to support the appeal, to help other patients who spend long periods in hospital experience moments of normality and joy.

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

The project will transform an unused space into a purpose-built, state-of-the-art cinema that patients can safely access during treatment.

Delivered in partnership with BAFTA Award-winning charity MediCinema, this fully accessible 50-seat cinema will support patients from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary, as well as Saint Mary’s 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. The facility will also be able to host personal screenings for patients in exceptionally sensitive circumstances.

The £1.1m appeal will ensure the cinema is delivered at no cost to the NHS, giving patients the chance to create treasured memories with family members during long hospital stays.

Hayley added: “The MediCinema will be somewhere children can feel like children again, not just 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 the appeal is sixteen-year-old Ayyub 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 in 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.

Ayyub said: “I was fifteen years old when I became ill. I should have been revising for my GCSEs and hanging out with friends. Instead, it felt like my life was suddenly 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 a while 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 added: “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. Please, everyone, support this appeal.”

The appeal is being led by Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, which raises funds for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s family of hospitals.

How to Donate: Text CINEMA to 70580 to donate £2 or visit Manchester Foundation Trust Charity’s website to give any amount.