Our former chairman Mark Adlestone OBE DL, has stepped down from his position as a member of our Board of Trustees.
At the same time, he was appointed an Honorary Patron alongside the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Lady Beryl Steinberg.
Our Chief Executive, Mark Cunningham commented,
“Mark’s contribution to The Fed, and by extension, to the welfare of so many people in need in the Manchester Jewish community has been invaluable. He has helped shape social care for Manchester Jewry for generations to come, through his leadership and vision for the future.
“He has combined these with a generous heart – frankly making him a unique individual.
“We owe him an incalculable debt of gratitude.”
Fed Chairman, Bernie Yaffe added, “Whilst we are sad to see Mark leave our board we are delighted and honoured that his commitment to The Fed is unabated, as evidenced by his agreement to join our other two existing illustrious honorary patrons.
“Together with The Fed’s Board of Trustees, Directors and all our staff and volunteers, we wish him huge success in all his future endeavours and thank him for his many years’ of devoted service to The Fed.”
Commenting on his new appointment, Mr Adlestone said, “The Fed has been a central part of my life for more than a decade, primarily as Chair and latterly as a trustee.
“Now becoming an Honorary Patron allows me to continue my association with this wonderful organisation and I am excited and honoured to take up my new role.
“I look forward to continuing to play an intrinsic role in supporting The Fed’s work alongside my wonderful fellow Honorary Patrons – the Chief Rabbi and Lady Steinberg.”
After Mark’s outgoing was confirmed, the board was delighted to welcome Racquelle Vallance as a new trustee in his place.
Bernie Yaffe continued:
“Racquelle was invited to become involved with the organisation by our former CEO Karen Phillips MBE.
“Over this time she has served for a number of years as a member of our Quality and Care Sub Committee, a key governance group who ensure that we continually discharge our statutory responsibilities in an optimum way and our care standards at a minimum meet or exceed established criteria.”
“Racquelle brings a huge wealth of experience to her new role having practiced as a solicitor during her professional career and having amassed over 20 years of experience advising the NHS and social care organisations during her time with Hempsons, a specialist national law firm providing legal services to the health and social care sectors.
“Together with Racquelle’s substantial leadership experience gained whilst representing the Manchester office on the firm’s management board, her appointment comes at a critical time for all care organisations as we review our strategy in light of the demographic and social changes taking place in the sector.”
Commenting on her new appointment, Mrs Vallance said, “I am delighted to have been appointed as a Trustee of the Fed.
“Having worked with the organisation for several years I have been continually impressed by the commitment and high standards of its management, staff, and many volunteers. I am looking forward to helping the Fed achieve its ambitions for the future.”