The Council of Christians and Jews has honoured educator and community leader Deanna Van der Velde with its James Leek Award. The award, which is given to a deserving member of CCJ who has shown special leadership, was presented at CCJ’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, held in Manchester. 

Deanna has many years of experience in interfaith dialogue in Newcastle and the region. She has been  Director of Newcastle Council of Faiths and Chair of Newcastle SACRE, and was a longtime Chair of the Northeast England CCJ Branch, which sadly closed last year. She is an outreach volunteer for her synagogue, the United Hebrew Congregation of Newcastle, and has been very involved with Holocaust Education in region. She is also Vice President of St Oswald’s Hospice Council and supports work to involve faith communities as staff, volunteers and patients.

Revd Canon Gavin Wort, Lead Chaplain at Durham University, said of Deanna’s recognition: 

‘Deanna has hosted countless school visits to the Orthodox Shul in Newcastle as well as groups of Christians training for ministry in the Dioceses of Newcastle and Durham. She’s a very worthy recipient for her longstanding work in Jewish education and Christian-Jewish engagement.'

James Leek was a CCJ Trustee and Branch leader who passed away in April 2021. The prize was set up by Hilary Leek and the Leek family in James' memory.
 
Previous winners award include Dr Ann Conway-Jones, of Birmingham CCJ; David Arnold MBE, of Manchester CCJ; Sr Isabel Smyth, of West of Scotland CCJ.