Would you like to be part of the MediCinema family? MediCinema volunteers are vital members of the team, giving their commitment, time and energy on a regular basis.
We have a dedicated team of volunteers who assist at each screening and are primarily responsible for collecting patients from the ward and assisting them to the MediCinema, pushing wheelchairs and hospital beds as required, then returning them to their ward once the film is over. The role of our cinema volunteers is vital: without them many of our patients wouldn't be able to make it down, plus patients are often nervous about leaving the ward so our volunteers chat to them to put them at ease.
If you are looking for a role that brings immediate benefit and pleasure to patients, one that enables you to see the real difference you’re making to their lives, then volunteering at the screenings could be for you.
We ask these volunteers to commit to two screenings a month for a minimum of a year. Volunteers need to be aged 16+ at our CW+ MediCinema in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and 18+ at all our other sites.
We also have many volunteers who donate their time in lots of other ways, such as helping out at our head office or sharing professional expertise and skills to enhance our work . Many volunteers choose to support our fundraising - organising events, being part of our gala committees or bringing in key contacts who may be interested in supporting MediCinema directly or through their company.
However you would like to help, we would love to hear from you, so please get in touch for more information.
Take a look below to read what our volunteers say about volunteering for MediCinema:
I have been a volunteer at MediCinema for over three years now and have enjoyed every minute of my time so far. The main reason I became a volunteer was I wanted to give something back as I know myself what it is like to stay in hospital for long periods of time. I joined MediCinema as I think it provides the best form of escapism for children, young people and adults who are in hospital, through the power of film, and makes them forget for a while that they are in hospital with illnesses.
It makes me happy to see them enjoy brand new screenings and, being able to talk to them about the films and to see how upbeat and more positive they are after experiencing it – it shows me what it means to them. I work with a great team and have made new friends. We do our best to make sure all of the people have a great time. It is hard not to understand the value in the work MediCinema does, personally to me it is very rewarding to help others and is worth it to see the smiles, joy and laughter that MediCinema can bring and the special experiences and memories that are created, not just for the patients, but also for the parents, relatives and volunteers. This is why I continue to volunteer for MediCinema and would recommend it to anyone who has a bit of spare time on their hands.
- Robert – a volunteer at our Yorkhill MediCinema in the Southern General Hospitals, Glasgow
Volunteering for MediCinema, it’s clear how much patients enjoy being taken to the cinema for a couple of hours. It’s a change of scenery and something new to think about. Some of MediCinema’s visitors are very ill, or have been away from home for weeks, but more often than not they are grinning on their way out at the end of the night. That’s the power of cinema.
It doesn’t take much to give up a couple of evenings a month to help out, but it makes a huge difference to the patients, and their friends and family who often come along for the movie. And it’s not just them who get something out of it. I spend a lot of time on my own with a computer screen for work. Coming along to MediCinema is a change for me too. If work is difficult, life feels stressful or I’ve had a bad day, it gives me a sense of perspective and I leave with a smile on my face too.
- Ellie – volunteer at CW+ MediCinema in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
For patients, the chance to ‘escape’ from hospital, even for a couple of hours, has a huge impact on their stay in hospital, and I have seen this first hand.
Volunteering is incredibly rewarding – knowing that I am making a difference to a patient’s life, and it’s so nice to interact with them
It really is a great volunteering job!
- Jed – volunteer at the MediCinema in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle