A UK-based Jewish charity has raised £100,000 for Syrian refugees.

World Jewish Relief, which launched the emergency appeal two weeks ago, said the donations included £50,000 from the Pears Foundation.

A spokesperson said WJR, which has already issued food and aid parcels to more than 100 Syrian families forced to flee to camps in Jordan as a result of the civil war, said it now hopes “to expand support to provide a more substantive level of assistance to women and children affected by the crisis”.

WJR chief executive Paul Anticoni added: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Jewish community for the wonderful response to this serious yet still worsening humanitarian crisis.

“Our supporters, and in particular the Pears Foundation, have enabled our growing Jewish community’s response to be rapid, practical and make a difference to those fleeing the horrors of conflict. Our appeal is ongoing and we hope we can continue to scale up the nature of our assistance.”

Trevor Pears, executive chair of Pears Foundation, said : “Our Foundation feels that it is important to support this appeal and help assist the many people caught up in this humanitarian crisis.”