After three years as Chair of Manchester Jewish Community Care (MJCC) which runs The Nicky (formerly The Nicky Alliance Community Centre), Ronnie Levene has handed the leadership baton over to Vice Chair, Michael Moore, at the recent annual general meeting.

Ronnie said: “The Nicky is a fantastic organisation that provides so much care and support for members of our community. There is an incorrect perception that The Nicky is a place for elderly folk to come along and snooze the afternoon away. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“The Nicky is actually the best social club in North Manchester for the more mature members of our community.   Our members regularly tell us that they love coming to The Nicky. With daily live entertainment, arts and crafts, discussion groups, Yoga, games, day trips and not forgetting the excellent three-course kosher lunch, there’s always something to enjoy. We want people to throw away their old perceptions and come and experience a day at The Nicky.”

Ronnie, who steered the organisation throughout the difficult Covid period and spearheaded the “Save The Nicky” campaign at the start of his tenure is delighted to remain involved as Vice President of the organisation.

Michael Moore is no stranger to community leadership, formally vice-chair of MJCC and past president of Whitefield Hebrew Congregation. He is looking forward to his next challenge.

He said: “Ronnie has been a fantastic chair and I’m pleased he will remain actively involved. The Nicky is loved by all our members. Many meet up with old friends and also make new ones here. We do however have an urgent need for funding. This will be my key priority as I take over the leadership role. Despite severely cutting back on expenditure, our overheads have gone through the roof, with staff costs increasing, utility cost more than tripled and the cost of food constantly rising.  To keep The Nicky accessible for all, Manchester Jewish Community Care currently needs to subsidise every member, on every visit, by £90.”

David Delew Chief Executive of MJCC said: “On behalf of all the members and staff at The Nicky, I would like to publicly thank Ronnie for his outstanding leadership and support. I welcome Michael as our new Chair.  I have had the pleasure of getting to know Michael since taking over as CEO eight months ago and look forward to working closely with him in the future.

“I am delighted that Ben Senior has been elected Vice Chair of the organisation and has already started attracting his younger contemporaries to join as committee members bringing much-needed young blood into the organisation as future leaders.”