Jewish Care has long been committed to building its new development in the north east London and Essex area and now what was once a dream, is becoming a reality as it takes shape, developing the facilities to meet current and future demand for all Jewish Care services in the local community.
Since receiving planning permission for the project in October 2023, Jewish Care’s contemporary first-class care and community campus development is progressing swiftly, but the charity is now appealing for more funds in Jewish Care’s first ever community fundraising campaign, titled Always Essex.
Lord Sugar, The Apprentice host who is a long-time supporter of Jewish Care and was born and raised in Hackney, East London, says, “Please contribute to this magnificent project because it’s your parents, or grandparents and maybe even you one day, who are going to need this wonderful facility.”
Lord Sugar and Sir Gerald Ronson CBE recently visited the new development which is under construction on the old site of Sinclair House that was originally built in 1969. Thanks to their incredible commitments and outstanding displays of generosity from Lord Sugar and his family, together with the Ronson family via The Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation, the much needed care and community campus is closer to becoming a reality for the local community remaining on track for completion in summer 2026.
The Sugar family have been long-standing supporters of Jewish Care, showing unwavering commitment to the organisation over many decades by generously supporting Jewish Care’s services in north east and East London, in addition to their ongoing supp
ort for the wider organisation. Gerald Ronson CBE and Dame Gail Ronson DBE too, have been avid and incredibly generous supporters of Jewish Care showing exceptional commitment over many years.
Following Lord Sugar and Sir Gerald Ronson’s visit, Jewish Care CEO Daniel Carmel-Brown, who grew up attending the youth club at Sinclair House, said, “We were delighted to welcome members of the Sugar and Ronson families, our cornerstone donors, along with key members of the Redbridge community, for a tour of our new first-class care and community campus for north east London and Essex.
In his video to the community, Daniel says, “I want to say an incredible thank you for the extraordinary generosity shown by our cornerstone donors and to so many others who have supported us so far to make this dream a reality. As someone who has grown up and worked in this community, I know just how much Jewish Care in Redbridge has meant to generations of families. Now, Jewish Care is building a truly special, brand new care and community campus for the future, a place where people of all generations can be together. But we need your help to finish it and we are holding our first ever community fundraising campaign, Always Essex on 18-19 May, asking for support from anyone who has a place in their heart for the Essex community, whether they live in the area today, have done in the past and/or are keen to support the new site, to be part of building the future of Jewish Care in Redbridge.
“The campaign will raise the additional funds to help us complete our vision for our fourth development hub to meet the needs of the local community in north east London and Essex, now and into the future and we hope we can rely on the community’s generous support. Every penny and pound counts. We are also pleased to invite the local community on hard hat tours in the coming weeks to share our excitement and to see the development take shape.”
The new, modern, and fully accessible care and community campus includes The Sugar Family Care Home, a 66-bed care home to replace Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House care home in Gants Hill which was built in 1982 and The Ronson Community Centre to replace Redbridge Jewish Community Centre.
When the organisation began to reopen its community centres after the pandemic, flooding at what was the Sinclair House building made it impossible to reopen safely, so Jewish Care relocated the Redbridge Jewish Community Centre programme including Supportive Communities groups and tea parties, temporarily to Woodford Forest United Synagogue. The Dennis Centre for people living with dementia is currently running from space on the site of Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House care home where Jewish Care’s outreach services are also based temporarily. This includes the Meals on Wheels service with deliveries by volunteers across the Essex and north east London area including Southend, Bethnal Green and Stepney, the Social Work and Community Support Team, supporting members of the Essex and north East London community and their family carers, the MIKE youth leadership programme and the Jami’s Redbridge community hub.
Once the care and community campus is completed and ready, all these services will come together under one roof for the first time, ensuring comprehensive care and support for the community.
Jonathan West, Jewish Care’s Director of Legal Affairs, Property and Procurement, who also grew up and lives locally, explains in more detail about the environmental credentials of the site, saying, “The campus should achieve an excellent BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating, which is a widely used standard for assessing buildings.
“The development’s Excellent rating reflects its high level of sustainability, placing it among the top 10% of environmentally responsible buildings. Designed for minimal
energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions, it incorporates high standards of health and well-being, responsible material sourcing, efficient waste management, and water conservation. Key features include rooftop solar panels and a green roof with vegetation such as grasses, moss, and wildflowers, further enhancing its environmental impact.
“The building and interiors are thoughtfully designed to support individuals with mobility challenges. Jewish Care has partnered with Park Grove, a specialist care home interior design company, led by industry expert Lori, renowned as an industry leader for designing dementia-friendly and accessible care environments.
“The campus is designed with dementia-friendly features to enhance the quality of life for residents and centre members, offering a safe, more supportive, and engaging environment.
“The development features level flooring throughout to ensure easy navigation, particularly for those with mobility challenges. To accommodate visual impairments common in dementia and conditions like macular degeneration, the colour scheme has been carefully selected to create strong contrasts between furniture, flooring, and walls, making movement between spaces clearer and more intuitive.”
Finally, Jonny West explains, “The care and community campus will also include displays of traditional Jewish objects, as well as memorabilia from Sinclair House, so that the community feels at home in the space with familiar items around them that celebrate being part of one big Jewish Essex and north east London family.”
To donate to the Always Essex community fundraising campaign visit www.fundnation.org/jewishcare.