Jewish Care

Foundation stone is laid for Jewish Care’s £2.2m Centre for Wellbeing

Around 80 Jewish Care supporters braved the rain as Marcia Feldman, the inspiration behind the charity's newest mental health resource, laid the foundation stone on the new £2.2m, project in Deasbrook Road, Edgware, due for completion next spring.

The two-storey building will be called the Martin Cohen Centre for Wellbeing, in memory of Cyril Dennis’s brother – Mr Cohen’s wife Suzanne and his mother Doris Shpiro, were among family members present. Jewish Care’s president Lord Levy and chairman Stephen Zimmerman took part in the ceremony alongside Rabbi Alan Plancey, who said a prayer.

The centre marks a significant change in the delivery of services for people with mental health needs, moving away from the tradional model of a day care centre and offering a wide range of treatments and therapies to ensure people's physical, nutritional and mental wellbing needs are met.

The project is a realisation of a dream for Mrs Feldman, a Jewish care volunteer and supporter, who has been the driving force behind the project along with the charity’s mental health consultative committee. “I have waited so long for this to happen – I can’t believe it, it is amazing,” said Mrs Feldman.

She added: “There should not be any stigma attached to mental health, we all go through stresses and strains in our life – we must continue to raise awareness of these issues and the help that is available.”

The gathering had lunch at the nearby Leonard Special Day Care Centre, where Jewish Care’s president Lord Levy paid tribute to Mrs Feldman’s vision and tenacity in bringing the project to its fruition. He also paid tribute to the generosity of the donors, noting the centre would be named in memory of “a wonderful man.”