Former Big Society tsar Lord Wei hosted a thank you event at the House of Lords for volunteers of international development charity Tzedek.

Addressing Tzedek staff and supporters, Lord Wei said it was a pleasure “to celebrate the work of the volunteers of all different kinds who are involved in the charity. I know first-hand how powerful faith can be as a motivator for service and I want to pay tribute to those who give up their time, skills and resources to serve those in need.”

Among the volunteers recognised were Hasmonean boys Ari Goodman, 14, Shimon Fraser, 13, Natanel Rubin, 13 and Ariel Akiva, 13, who raised more than £500 from a door-to-door singathon during Purim.

“We have so many things in our lives and some people have nothing,” Ariel said. “We wanted to raise money for a charity which could help those who don’t have.”

New Tzedek chief executive Jude Williams pointed out that the charity relied “on volunteer teams in education, overseas projects, fundraising and more”.

The event was organised by Faiths Act Fellows Charlotte Flowers and Maryam Duale, who were placed at Tzedek by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.