By Manny Robinson
Jewish Care’s new care and community campus in Redbridge is progressing swiftly and remains on track for completion in summer 2026.
Enthusiasm has been building through site visits for the charity’s supporters, including Lord Sugar and Sir Gerald Ronson CBE – who, along with their families, are the cornerstone donors for the project.
Jewish Care CEO Daniel Carmel-Brown, told the Essex Jewish News: “We were excited to welcome members of the Sugar and Ronson families, along with key representatives of the Redbridge community, for a tour of our new first-class care and community campus for north-east London and Essex.
“We are also pleased to invite the local community on hard hat tours throughout this spring and summer, so that they too can share our excitement.”
The new, modern and fully accessible care and community campus will be on the site that was home to Sinclair House. It will include The Sugar Family Care Home, a 66-bed care home to replace Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House in Gants Hill, and the new Ronson Community Centre.
The new purpose-built development will also house The Dennis Centre for people living with dementia, Jewish Care’s local social work and community support team, Meals on Wheels hub, and Jami’s community hub in Redbridge, ensuring comprehensive care and support for the community.
In preparation for a smooth transition to the new care home, capacity for new long-term residents at Vi & John Rubens House care home is limited. The Jewish Care admissions team will continue to assess capacity and consider admissions on a case-by-case basis.
Jonathan West – Jewish Care’s director of legal affairs, property and procurement – says the new campus should achieve an excellent BREEAM rating, the widely used environmental standard for assessing buildings.
He told us: “Designed for minimal energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions, the development incorporates high standards of health and well-being, responsible material sourcing, efficient waste management and water conservation.”
The building and interiors are thoughtfully designed to support individuals with mobility challenges. Jewish Care has partnered with Park Grove, a specialist care home interior design company renowned as an industry leader in designing dementia-friendly and accessible care environments. Jonathan continued: “Specialist features will enhance the quality of life for residents and centre members, offering a safe, supportive and engaging environment.
“Level flooring throughout ensures easy navigation, particularly for those with mobility challenges.
“To accommodate visual impairments common in dementia, and conditions like macular degeneration, the colour scheme has been carefully selected to create strong contrasts between furniture, flooring and walls, making movement between spaces clearer and more intuitive.
“Displays of traditional Jewish objects, as well as memorabilia from Sinclair House will be around the space to give a family atmosphere and help the community feel at home.”
Jewish Care will now be holding its first ever community fundraising campaign on 18-19 May, to raise the additional money needed to help complete this vision. Titled Always Essex, the campaign will be asking for support from anyone who lives in the area today, has done in the past and/or is keen to support the Jewish community of north east London and Essex now and into the future.
• For more information on how to donate, support or take a tour of the new care and community campus, please email info@jcare.org and visit jewishcare.org/redbridge.
