In Loving Memory of Joss Spires, Senior Cinema Manager

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Joss Spires, our Senior Cinema Manager for the MediCinema at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Joss was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease just over a year ago, though continued to work until she was no longer able to last September.

The disease sadly progressed very quickly, and Joss spent her final days in a hospice where she passed away peacefully.

Joss was employed to set up the Newcastle RVI service from scratch and was the absolute beating heart of the MediCinema there since we first opened the doors in 2009. Throughout her 15 years of service, she was a dedicated, funny and caring colleague; a wonderfully kind person who delivered a phenomenal 42,000 impactful cinema experiences for patients and their families throughout her time at MediCinema.

When Joss was in the RVI as a patient for a few months at the start of this year, she got to experience first-hand the service she had built. To be in the shoes of all the tens of thousands of people she’d helped and see the difference she’d made.  She was brought down in her bed, taking prime spot at the front, and as a lifelong cinema fan she came down to almost every screening if she was well enough….and of course corrected the team if they forgot something in the welcome speech!

Our thoughts are with her family and friends, the whole Newcastle team and all our staff who worked with Joss over the years.