An incredible 1,000 guests gathered today in support of Jewish Care’s Topland Group Business Lunch at the Grosvenor House, raising a record-breaking amount of £485,000. The funds raised will help support the charity’s vital services, which are a lifeline to many isolated members of the community, touching the lives of 12,000 people each week. Jewish Care’s 37th Business Lunch is now in its 16th year of partnership with the Topland Group.
The Rt. Hon. George Osborne CH is a partner at Robey Warshaw LLP, Former First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and previously Editor-in-chief of London’s Evening Standard newspaper. He was interviewed by Lord Finkelstein OBE, former Executive Editor and current columnist for The Times newspaper. Joanne Barnett, member of the Topland Group Business Lunch Committee, introduced the guest speakers, whose conversation covered global politics, the future of the economy and the need for growth to boost the UK economy.
Talking about the work of Jewish Care, The Rt. Hon. George Osborne CH, said, “It was my pleasure to attend the Topland Group Business Lunch and to help raise much-needed funds in support of Jewish Care.
“It is a brilliant charity and its work to support and enable older people, and those who are living with mental illness and distress is so vital for thousands of people who rely on Jewish Care.”
Jewish Care President, Steven Lewis gave a powerful appeal to guests to give generously: “The need for our services is not just continuing; it’s growing. Our community is aging, mental health issues are becoming more prevalent – especially among younger people, as we have seen in the increased demand for Jami’s mental health services, with the pressure on the NHS mounting. We are also seeing an increase in the need for end-of-life care, as people are coming to us older and frailer, with more complex medical needs.
“With the demands on our services becoming more urgent than ever, Jewish Care has been hit hard by the recent National Insurance increase for employers, and we now have an additional £1.1m in our wage bill in the coming year. The charity must raise nearly £20 million this year to meet the needs of those who rely on us. Many of the life-changing services we provide receive no government funding, so we are entirely dependent on the community’s support.
The charity’s President highlighted some of Jewish Care’s vital services, from the warm and vibrant community centres, including the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre and centres for people living with dementia, to the charity’s nine care homes for older people and people living with mental illness to the Meals on Wheels service, Jewish Care Direct helpline, Befriending service, support groups and more.
He added, “This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a moment in history that reminds us all of the profound importance of remembrance and the continued fight against hatred. I know that all of us in the room, regardless of what faith we are from, share the strong belief that “Never Again” remains a promise to those who perished and to those who survived.
“Our services are provided by a remarkable team of 1,300 staff members from 54 different nationalities and multiple faiths. We are incredibly proud that our workforce reflects such a diverse group of people.”
Guests saw a short film showing the charity’s impact on Leon, who is living with dementia and has benefitted from the support of one of Jewish Care’s centres for people living with dementia, and his son, Michael, who has been supported by the family carers team. They are just one of the thousands of families that Jewish Care supports each week.
Chairman of the Topland Group Business Lunch Committee, David Pollock, shared his gratitude for those supporting the lunch, saying, “I would like to thank our two special guest speakers The Right Honourable George Osborne and Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE. We are incredibly privileged to have them with us, and I also thank all the members of the committee for their support and hard work in making this event happen as well as Sol and Eddie Zakay, for their generous sponsorship of our lunch, as well as Allsop LLP and BKL, we are truly grateful for their support which goes above and beyond.”
The brochure created by associate sponsors BKL included strategic insights and interviews from key leaders in business, sport and politics including Julian Metcalfe, Sir Lloyd Dorfman CVO CBE, Claude Littner, Chris Houghton, Baroness Luciana Berger and Lord Harrington.
Each year, an award is given in memory of Philip Greenwold to an outstanding individual or group who has made a significant contribution to others. This year, Topland Group’s Mark Kingston presented the award to Trevor Avery, in recognition of Trevor’s incredible and inspiring achievements.
Trevor Avery is Director of Another Space, the education charity that produced the Lake District Holocaust Project in Windermere UK. The project is an international initiative that looks at the connections and legacy of the story of the three hundred child Holocaust survivors who came to the Lake District of England in 1945, directly after liberation from the concentration camps of Nazi-occupied Europe.
Awarded the BEM for Services to Heritage in the Lake District in 2016, Trevor has continued to build the archive collection of experiences and to act as an advisor on numerous TV programmes, including The Windermere Children and The Windermere Children – In Their Own Words. He was also featured in the BAFTA award-winning Who Do You Think You Are? following in the footsteps of Robert Rinder’s grandfather.
Speaking at the lunch, Trevor, gave an emotional response to winning the award. “My huge thanks go to Topland Group Business Lunch and Jewish Care for this award. I will place it on display with pride. The Jewish children who came to Windermere represent a profound act of defiance in overcoming whatever adversities they had to contend with. When I first began working on the Lake District Holocaust project twenty years ago I had little idea of where it would lead. It is so good to have my special friend Harry Olmer MBE, who is featured as one of the main characters, in The Windermere Children, here with us today.”