The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine, Dame Melinda Simmons, has been honoured by Jewish Care through its Women of Distinction lunch, held on Tuesday at St John’s Wood Synagogue.

Dame Melinda’s parents and sister were among the 180 guests and her mother, Sylvia, accepted the award on her behalf, saying that the ambassador was out in the field, visiting Ukrainian citizens dealing with the impact of war.

However, in a video message, Dame Melinda thanked the charity for the recognition.

“I’ve been here in Ukraine since before the outbreak of the war and it’s been a time of unbelievable inspiration for me to work alongside Ukrainians who are defending their country and caring for their people,” she said.

“It’s a source of great pride to me and my colleagues in the embassy in Kyiv that those efforts have been seen and supported by people all over the world.

“It’s been an opportunity for me and other women to stand up and show what women can do when they are in leadership positions. It’s been a huge learning experience but it’s also been a time of inspiration for me and the other women I’m working with.”

Also honoured at the lunch were Baroness Beeban Kidron, for advocating children’s rights in the digital world, and Doreen Gainsford, who helped set up the Women’s Campaign for Soviet Jewry in the 1960s.

The lunch raised £73,000 for Jewish Care’s Sidney Corob House home for people with severe long-term mental health needs. Residents Michelle Kotler and Karen Waxman were at the lunch and Benjy Waxman, Karen’s son, made an emotional appeal.

“The team at Sidney Corob House have supported mum through difficult times with close, tailored care and mum has built positive relationships with the support workers and residents,” he explained.

“Being at Jewish Care has energised mum to re-engage with her own life and to push her outside of her comfort zone. She has done things I would not have imagined — from speaking in public to going on trips to proactively volunteering in the home.”
She would live with her mental illness for the rest of her life.

“But when she falls, Jewish Care is that soft landing — and for that, we are eternally grateful.”