A new Sefer Torah for the shul of educational organisation Seed was paraded through the streets of Edgware on Sunday, attracting an audience of hundreds of residents who came out to watch from their driveways.

The scroll was partly ferried on an open-top double decker bus from which more than 2,500 sweets were thrown to the watching crowds along the four-mile route.

It was dedicated to Seed by the family of James Scott in memory of his mother Shoshana. Separate Covid compliant celebrations were later held in the shul for the donors and their friends and members of the local Jewish population.

Mr Scott said that being “able to share the simchah with all the Edgware communities on our bus route is a memory we will treasure”.

Seed’s Rabbi Dov Birnbaum observed that “after a very difficult year for every Jewish community, this was the perfect way to come together and celebrate as we emerge from lockdown.

“Celebrating our second new Sefer Torah in just four years is a testament to the continued growth of the shul and the active participation of our members.”