Award-winning actress Dame Maureen Lipman DBE has paid tribute to a charity which supports seriously ill children and their families, which has seen a 30 per cent increase in demand for some of its services in the past year.

Addressing a packed-out hall in Finchley Synagogue’s Kinloss Suite, the stage and screen actor told guests at Camp Simcha’s annual ladies’ lunch: “Today is about altruism and sympathy and, more than that, empathy and just kindness. I have seen that already and I have learnt more here today. Kindness seems to be your mantra Camp Simcha.”

Earlier on, some 350 guests had heard from Rachely Plancey, who co-founded Camp Simcha with her husband Meir nearly 30 years ago. Starting by supporting a handful of families, she said that in this past year alone, they had provided services to 1,600 people, including both sick children and their relatives.

An area which had seen its demand increase by nearly a third over the past 12 months was supporting families coping with a severe mental health condition, she said, adding that it was a reflection of the national picture.

Plancey, who is now head of family liaison at the charity, emphasized the importance of their social work team in “assessing every factor which may affect how each family member is coping and putting the most impactful help in place”.

Camp Simcha ladies' lunch committee with the charity's co-founder, Rachely Plancey (left) and CEO Daniel Gillis (Photo: Bettina Jacobs Photography)

Particularly challenging was when a child came home after an extended stay in hospital, she said.

“Families, especially those caring for children with conditions like eating disorders, face an overwhelming transition. The hospital care for the family unit ends, but the family's journey doesn’t. The focus, understandably, remains on the child who is unwell, but the impact on siblings is profound.”

To support brothers and sisters, Camp Simcha offers family therapists, sibling support groups or therapeutic outlets like art and equine therapy. “Our aim is to create space for siblings to express their feelings and receive the attention they need. These children deserve a world as large and supportive as possible, and we are committed to making that a reality.”

Nineteen-year-old Abigail Marin, who was supported by Camp Simcha from the age of six following a facial tumour diagnosis, also spoke, saying how the charity had been there for all her family.

“Even though I was going through multiple surgeries, my whole family also had to bear the stress of it all, with my sisters seeing the pain I went through and my parents going to countless appointments; this made my tumour a family project.

“Camp Simcha found a way to give bespoke help to everyone in my family, making me feel less alone and scared of the problems I felt I [had] caused the people around me.”

Dame Maureen Lipman with Camp Simcha family members Abi Marin (left) and Rifky Belz (Photo: Bettina Jacobs Photography)

Mum-of-three Rifky Belz, whose five-year-old son, Betzalel, is being treated for dystonic cerebral palsy and requires round-the-clock care, gave an impassioned speech about how the charity was always there for her when she reached rock bottom.

“In my lowest moments of crisis, when I feel I cannot take any more, [my Camp Simcha family liaison officer] listens, understands and validates how I am feeling, offering solutions that lift us all up.”

She recounted how the charity had come into their life within days of Betzalel’s birth, and as her son got older and the family continued to be faced with medical emergencies, her Camp Simcha family liaison officer was the first person she would call from the ambulance. “She always asks: ‘What do you need? Shall I come and sit with you? Shall I bring you something?’ It’s not just the practical support. Natalie is a friend that I don’t feel guilty offloading to.”

Rifky spoke about the life-changing impact of Camp Simcha’s holistic, bespoke support, explaining that the charity gave the family practical help, hope, love, community and a sense of belonging when they need it most: “Camp Simcha is that vital lifeline,” she said.

Providing much levity to the afternoon, Dame Maureen regaled guests with humorous anecdotes from proposing to her fiancé on Tu B’av, when a woman traditionally asks a man for his hand in marriage, to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II commenting on her dress when she went to the palace for her investiture.

Dame Maureen Lipman (centre) with journalist and compere Suzanne Baum (right) and Camp Simcha ladies' lunch committee chair Victoria Joseph (Photo: Bettina Jacobs Photography)

“[Previously] I was at a little lunch party at the palace…As I was leaving, [Queen Elizabeth II] said to me: ‘I believe you're going to come to the palace quite soon’, and I said: ‘Yes Ma'am, if I can find anything to wear.’ That was in October.

"February, I went, and I was wearing my Tomasz Starzewski dress with a big hat, and as I took my little bob, she said: ‘Well I can see you've found something!’"

Lipman has been an outspoken supporter of Israel, particularly since the terrorist atrocities of October 7, leading calls for the release of the hostages at numerous communal events.

She told guests: “My mantra over the last few years has just been: ‘Show up, stand up, speak up’ because, if not I, who else?”

The sell-out lunch raised £120,000 for the charity’s services, including a “crucial” extension of Camp Simcha’s support to helping existing Camp Simcha families navigate the transition from paediatric to adult medical services.

The event was compered by journalist Suzanne Baum and chaired by Victoria Joseph, who said: “It has been my privilege to be involved with this wonderful charity for many, many years, seeing first-hand the impact its vital work supporting families with seriously ill children.”