Norwood raises £3.2 million at annual dinner

Britain’s largest Jewish charity has raised £3.2 million at its fundraising dinner in London, as 1,200 guests heard how the money would go towards its £34 million annual operating costs helping people with learning disabilities.

Norwood’s event at the Grosvenor was the first dinner since its new chair and chief executive took over, and the last one organised by Carole Sopher, who is handing over Orly Wolfson.

New chief executive Dr Beverley Jacobson, the former head of Kisharon, described how her “life went into freefall” 24 years ago when her daughter sustained extensive brain damage at birth, and how the charity helped both her and her child.

It was another first appearance for Norwood’s new chair Neville Kahn said Jacobson would lead the charity into “what promises to be a new and exciting era,” adding: “Her personal drive to improve the lives of those we supports is inspiring.”

Co-president Lady Nicola Mendelsohn said she was “deeply moved by everything the charity does,” with its ethos that “no-one gets left behind or forgotten”.

The charity supports 4,000 people, mainly across south-east, and needs £34 million to meet its responsibilities, £12 million of which must be found from donations.