A synagogue went above and beyond for this year’s Mitzvah Day celebrations by putting on events for an entire week.

Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue hosted a tea for more than one hundred retirees to round off its ‘Mitzvah Week’ full of joy and good deeds.

Mitzvah Day is an annual celebration in the Jewish community which encourages social interaction.

The team at Stanmore and Canons Park expressed their gratitude to all those who got involved and said it was a privilege to give something back to society.

Juliette Harris, organiser of Mitzvah Day activities at Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue, said: “We are extremely grateful for people giving up their time and efforts this week and we really appreciate everyone’s help and assistance in this communal initiative for Stanmore Shul to do something good for the wider community.

“There was such a wonderful atmosphere around the shul as all the volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work, making sure that all the activities we organised were a huge success and all the collections were sifted and sorted, ready for dispatch. We are so looking forward to doing even more, next Mitzvah Day.”

The synagogue kicked off proceedings by preparing a large batch of hearty vegetable soup for Harrow men’s homeless charity Firm Foundations.

Volunteers also gathered together a huge collection of donations for a number of good causes in the area, while there was a blood donation campaign for The Joely Bear charity at Edgware hospital.

The seniors tea, which took in two courses and a number of songs, was a perfect way to round off the day, with all involved already anticipating the next celebration.

These events followed a gardening project in partnership with members of the Shree Swaminarayan Temple, which saw the grounds at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore renovated.

Organisers added that the theme for this year’s Mitzvah Day – ‘L’dor Vador’ or ‘from generation to generation’ – was appropriate since it incorporated events and activities for all ages.