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Alan Bennett’s Lady in the Van parks up in Jesmond

Top businesspeople in the region will tread the boards next week to raise funds for a fire-ravaged Israeli facility which is home to orphans and refugee children from across the world.

Amateur Dramatics group Newcastle Jewish Players will donate a portion of ticket sales from its production of Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van to Yemin Orde – the community which started life as a home for holocaust orphans in the 1950s and today remains a refuge for vulnerable children.

The play, which will also raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care, will star a number of prominent business leaders from the North East, including Anthony Josephs, commercial services partner at Newcastle-based accountancy firm RMT.

Alongside Mr Josephs and his wife Marta, the cast will also include Martin Levinson, a partner at Teesside solicitors TBI Law, Caroline Goorney, a sole practitioner Solicitor in with offices in Gosforth, and Mike Gilbert, medical services partner at RMT.

Recent years have seen Newcastle Jewish Players raise between £40,000 and £50,000 for charity through a number of popular stage productions.

The latest show, which takes place at the Royal Grammar School theatre in Jesmond, tells the heart-warming and humourous true story of an elderly woman who parked her van in Alan Bennett’s back garden and remained there for 15 years, long outstaying her welcome.

As well as supporting the vital work of Marie Curie, the production will help Yemin Orde recover from a devastating fire in December 2010 which swept through the youth community that is home to almost 500 children.

Mr Josephs, who plays the role of Alan Bennett, said: “It will be a very enjoyable event combining a nice story, lots of comedy and a beautiful performance from our cast members, who have worked so hard to bring this together.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .