Dame Gail Ronson to head charity for the blind

Dame Gail Ronson has been appointed president of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

She takes over at the eye health and sight loss charity from the Duke of Westminster.

Dame Gail, a leading charity fundraiser and campaigner, said the appointment was a “huge honour” and a “substantial responsibility”.

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Southend's Raymond House closure put on hold

Supporters of the closure-threatened Jewish Care home in Southend have persuaded the charity to delay its plans in the hope of finding a buyer.

A working group of three representatives apiece of Jewish Care and the Southend community will explore the viability of keeping Raymond House open if sufficient investment can be generated.

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Charity founder aims to make audible difference

A hearing aid charity founded by a Golders Green audiologist has started out by giving life-changing assistance to a Georgian refugee in London.

Nathan Gluck set up Shema Hearing Support last month to help those in financial difficulty.

Early beneficiaries include Sam, a father in his 40s who could no longer talk on the phone and Lada, whose poor hearing had hindered her job search.

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Charities losing out on Gift Aid

Many communal charities are missing out on thousands of pounds a year because of a failure to claim Gift Aid on donations.

The lost income was revealed in a survey conducted by the Achisomoch Aid Company, which runs one of the largest charity voucher schemes within the Jewish community.

AAC trustee Michael Hackenbroch said: "It shows that not enough people are aware of the benefits of donati

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Care chiefs press Cameron over welfare reform delays

Fundamental reforms to address a crisis in the care of the elderly have been delayed again, despite pleas from charity chiefs.

The Jewish Care and Nightingale Hammerson chief executives, Simon Morris and Leon Smith, were among the 78 signatories of a letter to David Cameron this week, calling on him to urgently address "the devastating impact of years of failure to reform".

The letter contin

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Southend seeking a buyer to save home

Families of residents at the Southend home Jewish Care plans to close are pinning their hopes on finding a buyer.

Fifty relatives and community members attended a meeting last week with senior Jewish Care staff to discuss the future of Raymond House.

Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation vice-president Stephen Salt said afterwards that he was working with president Alan Gershlick to att

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Claire Lomas finishes marathon thanks to Israeli invention

A paralysed woman has crossed the finish line of the London marathon after walking for 16 days with the help of an Israeli invention.

Claire Lomas, a former semi-professional British horse-rider, was told she would never walk again after an accident in May 2007.

But five years on she has proved her doubters wrong and raised more than £83,000 for spinal research.

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Mitzvah Day volunteers set sandwich-making world record

A Guinness World Record was set by the Jewish community in New York last Sunday, after volunteers made 1,660 sandwiches in one hour as part of a Mitzvah Day challenge.

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JAMI and Jewish Care to merge

The Jewish Association for Mentally Illness (Jami) is to merge with British Jewry's largest welfare organisation Jewish Care to create a single mental health service for the community in September.

The two organisations believe the tie-up will produce a better service across a wider area and cut overheads, but there is no intention to make redundancies.

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Hazon Yeshaya staff arrested in charity investigation

The head of an Israeli soup kitchen has been arrested along with nine employees amid claims that the charity stole from its donors.

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Dealer with room on TV

Back on screen is Jeff Salmon as one of the dealers in Channel 4's Four Rooms who are asked to buy valuable objects by members of the public. One item featured this week was a dress worn by the late Amy Winehouse, which was offered by her father Mitch to raise funds for charity.

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Manchester leaders get royal date

Manchester Jewish communal personalities were guests at a royal lunch during the Queen's visit to the city on her diamond jubilee tour.

In addition to Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, diners included Jeremy Myers, who has championed pride in the city since organising a major clean-up following last summer's riots.

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MDA treats community to first aid instruction

In Israel Magen David Adom is responsible for all first aid training. Now new MDA UK chair Henry Ejdelbaum wants the charity to assume responsibility for first aid instruction within the community.

"Charities are good at taking," he said. "Raising money is what we do best.

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