The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is in the midst of a £1.1m campaign to build a patients' cinema
Julie and Phil Neville(Image: Julie Neville/Instagram)
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Former Manchester United star Phil Neville and his family have backed a growing campaign to raise £1.1m to build a cinema for patients inside Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Phil and his wife Julie spoke passionately about how the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and its charity arm helped and supported their family. Their daughter, Isabella, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged just 18 months.
The couple were passionate campaigners for the hospital at the time and have continued to offer their support by appealing to the public to back the campaign.
In a post on social media, Julie Neville said the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital 'means everything to us' after it helped the family through 'an extremely traumatic time'. She said: "It means that we got to see our daughter start school and graduate school, and be the bright and beautiful student that she is today. We are incredibly grateful."
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The Manchester MediCinema Appeal has now reached the halfway point in its funding campaign, having raised a whopping £579,000.
The campaign, also backed by Freddie Flintoff and led by the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, aims to build a fully accessible 50-seat cinema for patients at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary, and other hospitals.
(Image: Julie Neville/Instagram)
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When complete, the MediCinema is expected to screen up to 260 films each year. Supported by nurses and trained volunteers, screenings will offer patients and their families moments of escape, shared experience and comfort during what can be some of the most difficult times of their lives.
Hospital bosses said many thousands of patients are admitted to the Oxford Road campus hospitals every year. The cinema - at no cost to the NHS if the campaign proves a success - will support patients from across Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Saint Mary’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, as well as Manchester Royal Infirmary itself.
To donate and get involved, visit the appeal website here.
Backing the campaign, Julie Neville added: "We were involved for a very long time with the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital charity. It's very public some of the amazing works that that charity got to do and the huge difference it made to so many children and their families. For us personally, I think it saved us at a time which was extremely traumatic.
CGI of the proposed cinema(Image: Manchester Foundation Trust Charity)
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"For me personally, I needed to make something good come out of something that at the time, I couldn't see any good in. I couldn't see good in why our daughter had to suffer and struggle.
"But being involved in that charity made us see so much good. We were able to do so much good being part of an incredible team. And now it's the time to do some more - the job isn't done."
Julie said studies have shown that children who are happy, relaxed and positive respond better to treatments and feel less pain.
Husband Phil said: "The Medicinema appeal needs to raise £1.1m. It sounds a lot, but it's achievable if everyone gets behind the campaign. Whether it's a small donation or a large donation, with your help and support this can be achievable."