Simon Scoops Hero Award

by Erica Morris - Thursday 20th November 2008


A 33-year-old Jewish Care resident, who devotes his life to volunteering for the charity and raising funds for it, was last weekend awarded the title Jewish News & Mitzvah Day Community Hero 2008.

Simon Davies, who suffers from athetoid cerebral palsy, thought he was just another guest when he arrived at a fireworks party held at Brondesbury cricket club marking the end of Mitzvah Day.

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But during the course of the evening and to rousing applause from all present, he was presented with the trophy, awarded annually to unsung heroes within the community.

Simon, who during the week lives at Rela Goldhill Lodge has spent the past five years working in Jewish Care's fundraising department, writing thank you letters to donors. He also runs a greeting card business, with all the profits going to provide much-needed equipment for the care home.

Simon told the Jewish News: "I feel very honoured to have won this award, which is testimony to the support given to me by my family and my colleagues at Jewish Care."

Colleague Ruth Merrian, who nominated Simon added: "I speak for everybody at Jewish Care when I say that he richly deserved to win this award."

In all, there with six finalists shortlisted for the trophy, including 13-year-old Dani Jacobson who raised £23,000 for charity by swimming the equivalent of the English Channel; 93-year-old Keith Saunders, a lifelong volunteer at WJR since fleeing the Nazis in 1935, 35-year-old Dani Franks; who has raised over £200,000 since founding the my israel charity, 41-year-old myeloma sufferer; Judy Dewinter, chairwoman of Myeloma UK; and 94-year-old and 86-year-old Sam Bearman and Bea Harrison, a dynamic duo who, despite their respective ages, still volunteer at Nightingale Care Home.

Paying tribute to those shortlisted, Jewish News Editor Zeddy Lawrence, who presented Simon with his award, said: "Mitzvah Day is about getting people to do a good deed on just one day. But for all these nominees, every day is mitzvah day, helping those less fortunate with no thought of reward or recognition."

He added: "We only have one trophy and Simon is certainly a worthy winner. But there's no denying that all these nominees are community heroes. Indeed, it's testimony to the outstanding example they set the rest of us that when the judging panel voted for the person they felt most deserved the title, each of the nominees received at least one vote."

Read the latest copy of The Jewish News Online by clicking here.

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