The parents of a Moray youngster who is allergic to “almost everything” have transformed their garage into a cinema so that he can watch films with his pals.
Little Mason Hale has only ever had one outing to the pictures – and it was cut short when he had to leave after taking a reaction.
Even being in the same room as certain food, like nuts, can bring the Buckie five-year-old out in hives.
After his unsuccessful cinema trip two years ago, Mason’s parents decided to build a screening room at their home so that he could enjoy the fun of the movies.
Kelly and David Hale “saved and saved and saved” to make the unlikely venture a reality.
But they say the look on Mason’s face when he saw the finished product, days ago, justified the effort.
Mrs Hale said Mason has since been making up for missing out for so long by watching a film every night – after finishing his homework.
She said: “Somebody was eating nuts in the screening the one time Mason tried going to the cinema, and even the smell of them can cause a reaction.
“We asked the person to put them away, but they didn’t realise how serious his allergies are and took offence.
“We joked that we would have to build a cinema just for him, but my husband then took that as a challenge.
“I didn’t think it would be possible, but we saved and saved and saved and every time he came home from working offshore he would work on it.”
The cinema has surround sound speakers, rope lighting and a 3D projector screen – and Mr and Mrs Hale hope to install cinema-style seating next year.
Mrs Hale added: “Mason’s face was priceless when he saw it, that smile made everything worth it.”
Mason now plans to invite his friends around during the Christmas holidays for some viewing sessions.
However, the his taste in films is somewhat unusual for a five-year-old.
While most of his peers would insist on watching cartoons on their own big screen, Mason has a penchant for disaster films.
Mrs Hale said she has had to sit through 1997 epic Titanic more than 50 times in the past few months.