An experimental Sephardi minyan at Stanmore United Synagogue attracted 30 people to its first service.

Conducted on Shabbat morning by some of the shul's regular lay service leaders, it was aimed at what minister Rabbi Mendel Lew termed "the substantial number of Sephardim among Stanmore's members".

But while Stanmore would be willing to cater on an occasional basis for those who desire "a different flavour to their davening, there is no great desire in the congregation to have lots of alternative minyanim. Historically, Stanmore has wished to keep everyone davening together in a single congregation. How frequently we arrange a Sephardi service in the future depends on how the community embraces it."