At Kisharon Langdon summer isn’t just about sunshine – it’s also about wellbeing. The vibrant summer programme champions mental health through outdoor activities (weather permitting), suggested and planned by the very people the charity supports. Highlights include picnics in the park and barbecues in supported living homes. Gardening is a popular choice, with weekly sessions at Childs Hill Library’s accessible garden led by an experienced horticulturalist.
The traditional sports day, held in the library garden, is a seasonal favourite. Staff join in too, creating a strong sense of inclusion and shared celebration. For the quintessential British summer experience, there is a trip to the seaside for a day of sandcastle-building and leisurely strolls along the pier.
Importantly, it’s still business as usual. Kisharon Langdon’s core services run year-round, including supported living, employment support and life-skills programmes – enabling people in the Jewish learning disability and autism community to thrive throughout the summer and beyond.
Head Room, Jami’s social enterprise café, is embracing the summer vibe with new dishes and a community spirit. Supported by The Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation, this informal, relaxed and welcoming kosher café in Golders Green has added some new seasonal dishes to the menu, including a tasty tuna melt and a build-your-own salad, with everything from spiced chickpeas and sweet potatoes to smoked salmon and halloumi. After you’ve had a bite to eat or savoured a refreshing iced latte, frappuccino or fruit smoothie you can join the café’s community walking group every Thursday from 4–5pm. It’s a great opportunity to move your body, meet new people, or just have a bit of ‘me time’.
If you’re having a birthday celebration or hosting a sheva brachot this summer, you can hire the café – stand-up buffets and sit-down meals can be arranged. All profits from Head Room go towards funding Jami’s mental health services at the café and across the community.
Summery salads feature on the menu at Head Room
With many young people away from home for the first time at summer camps and youth programmes, Jewish Women’s Aid is making sure they’re as safe as possible by delivering specialist training to youth leaders across the community to help them recognise signs of abuse and promote healthy relationships from an early age. Through direct support, education and training, JWA works to prevent abuse, increase understanding, and ensure no one affected is left alone. The school holidays can be especially isolating for women and children affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence, so JWA is organising days out and activities so they can enjoy the summer together in a safe and supportive space.
Young professionals can get involved at the Young JWA Committee summer party, raising awareness around abuse, consent and healthy relationships, while funding this vital work.
Emunah trip to Jerusalem
For those living in Emunah’s Residential Homes in Israel, summer can feel isolating. Without family outings or holidays, they risk missing out on the joy most of us take for granted. British Emunah’s homes remain open and active all summer, with the added challenge of keeping the children engaged and happy. Day trips are a highlight – offering a chance to explore nature, cool off at watering holes, or connect with heritage at sites like the Kotel. These excursions provide structure, excitement and vital emotional relief during long, hot days when staying indoors can feel stifling and supporters visiting Israel are invited to sponsor a day out. Closer to home, on 30 June Emunah’s Eat & Speak summer event will feature Adam Cannon, Director of Legal at The Sun.
While summer is a time for family fun it can also strain household budgets. Extra childcare costs, increased food bills, holiday activities and pressure to provide memorable experiences can stretch already thin finances. Paperweight helps clients to build financial resilience, equipping them with the tools, guidance and support they need to plan ahead, helping them access benefits and manage their money confidently. The team works closely with families to help them budget for the summer and across all seasons, identifying cost-saving strategies and support schemes they may not know exist.
Paperweight helps families to stay afloat
Resilience means more than just making ends meet – it means feeling secure, supported and empowered to make informed choices. Whether it’s navigating Child Benefit or Universal Credit, understanding entitlements or negotiating with creditors, Paperweight ensures everyone can enjoy the summer with less stress and more stability, focusing on what matters most – time together.
A sense of community, accessible fun, respite and the opportunity to create lasting memories are just a few of the reasons Camp Simcha’s summer programme is such a lifeline for the families it supports. This summer around 120 family members, with children facing a range of serious medical conditions, will attend the charity’s three-day residential family retreat.
One parent explains: “Retreat is joyful at every turn… time as a couple, time as a family, time alone, it all lifts your spirits… plus to know you are with other parents who have experienced that awful life-changing doctor’s appointment and be in a safe environment is simply magical.”
Meanwhile, 16 seriously ill children will be going to Camp USA, run by the charity’s sister organisation in America, and over 1,200 attendances are expected at the Keshet summer day scheme in London and Manchester. The programme will feature accessible outings to Hobbledown Heath, Gulliver’s Land, Adventure Island, Diggerland, Stockeld Park and Chester Zoo.
Rocco and his volunteers at Camp Simcha’s retreat
Since the outbreak of war in 2022, nearly two million homes in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed. Shattered windows, broken doors and crumbling walls have left families exposed and vulnerable and behind every ruined home is a person. This summer, World Jewish Relief is urging the community to ‘Raise the Roof’ and help restore safety and dignity to older Jewish people across Ukraine. So far, 1,088 homes have been repaired but there is still much to do. Each repaired roof and replaced window is more than just shelter—it’s a step toward rebuilding a life.
Lives have been shattered in Ukraine
Beit Halochem had an early start to summer when it brought a delegation of 32 Israeli veterans to London in March in unseasonably warm weather. Sightseeing, a picnic, a Shabbat dinner with host families and a visit to JCoss to talk to the students were all part of the programme. There was a visit to Brighton to watch Brighton play Fulham, an Arsenal stadium tour and lunch at Tony Page’s restaurant plus a trip to see The Lion King, a Shoreditch street art tour and lunch at the Hummus Bar. A celebration evening at The Sorting Office completed the trip with the veterans commandeering the dancefloor, rocking out in wheelchairs and jubilantly punching the air with their crutches.
Beit Halochem brought veterans to the UK on a special trip
Earlier this month, over 850 children from across the community came together for Beit Halochem’s It’s A Knockout event, raising vital funds for the 65,000 disabled veterans and victims of terror supported by the charity’s rehabilitation centres in Israel.
