Norwood (charity)

In 1795, brothers Abraham and Benjamin Goldsmid began campaigning for funds for a major Jewish poor relief scheme. Twelve years later they were able to use the funds to establish the Jews' Hospital in Mile End. Following the death of the Goldsmid brothers, Queen Victoria's uncle, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, became the Hospital's first royal patron in 1815.

In 1831, the Jews' Orphan Asylum was established in Leman Street. Originally, just seven children were housed at the Asylum, but over the decades that number grew and by 1860 it housed 60 orphans. During the same period, the Jews' Hospital was becoming overcrowded, with 100 boys and 40 girls enrolled by 1860. In 1866, the children were transferred from the Jews' Hospital to new premises at Norwood, South London. In 1876, the Jews' Hospital had merged with the Orphan Asylum, and the children from the latter also moved to Norwood. The numbers of Jewish children at Norwood increased from 159 in 1877 to 260 in 1888, and because of the increased demand, many had to be turned away.

The institution was renamed the Norwood Jewish Orphanage in 1928. During this period, it became known to a wider audience due to a high-profile annual day trip to Southend organised by the London Taxi Drivers' Fund for Underprivileged Children.

During World War II, the children were evacuated to homes in Worthing and Hertford and the building was used by the London Fire Brigade as a training centre. After the war, the number of children at the Orphanage started to decline as they became more integrated within the community.

In 1956, the name was again changed to the Norwood Home for Jewish Children.

Ravenswood was established in 1953 in Berkshire by a group calling themselves the Jewish Association of Parents of Backward Children. Its initial mission was to provide care and education for four 11-year-old boys. After the acquisition of a second home and a farm five years later, the Ravenswood Foundation was formed.

In the latter half of the 1950s, nine family houses were built or acquired by Norwood in South London with the aim of giving children a homely environment. The old Orphanage became redundant and was eventually demolished in 1963. The Norwood family homes were moved to North London and eventually closed one by one, with the last one closing its doors in 1992.

In 1985, Norwood opened its first registered residential home for adults with learning disabilities. Five years later, the Kennedy Leigh Children and Family Centre in Hendon was opened, offering practical advice and support to families living with learning disability or facing social disadvantage. The centre also housed Binoh, Norwood's education and therapy service that supports children with special educational needs.

In 1996, Norwood merged with Ravenswood, and opened family centres in Redbridge and Hackney. It was called Norwood Ravenswood for six years before finally changing its name to Norwood in 2002.

In January 2008, Cherie Blair officially opened Wellbeing at Bearsted, a centre offering health and wellbeing services to the local Orthodox Community in Hackney. In June 2008, The Hope Charity, a London-based organisation supporting children with special educational needs, joined Norwood's umbrella of children and family services. Norwood also opened a new integrated nursery in Hendon in September 2008, accommodating children who have disabilities or require additional support, as well as providing a first-class facility for children who have no special needs. In 2008 and 2009, two new specialised facilities were completed at Ravenswood.

The Tager Centre is a home for adults who have a range of autistic spectrum conditions, while the Pamela Barnett Centre houses adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

In March 2009, Norwood joined forces with Brighton care home, Sussex Tikvah. In April 2010, The RD Crusaders WorkHub in Stanmore was officially opened. The facility offers a range of services to help adults with learning disabilities learn new skills and, potentially, find paid employment.

Norwood Corporate Fundraising Event

Fundraising is vital to Norwood as many of its services receive little or no government funding at all. Norwood needs to raise £12m every year.

Challenges

Norwood Challenges offer a range of sponsored sporting events for all ages and abilities. Norwood pioneered the international sponsored events 20 years ago and over 10,000 people have participated in a Norwood Challenge since 1992.

Police team doing Capital to Coast Bike Ride

Norwood runs Challenges suitable for all levels of experience, ability and all ages. Previous international event destinations have included Northern Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, India, Croatia, Israel, Italy, Austria, Vietnam & Cambodia, Prague and the Sahara Desert.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norwood (charity).

• Norwood Charity website
• Norwood Sporting Challenges website
• Reminiscences of a Childhood in the Jewish Orphanage
• Memories of Growing up at Norwood Orphanage
• The story of Norwood Jewish Orphanage Association of Jewish Women's Organisations in the UK