Jamie Ritblat founded Delancey Real Estate Asset Management Limited in 2001 and continues to preside over the company as chairman today. With a track record in the UK property industry spanning three decades, he has been honoured with a variety of coveted industry awards, including Property Week’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2013 and RESI Awards’ ‘Property Personality of the Year’ in 2014.
Jamie Ritblat is a supporter of Dads House, an organisation that supports single fathers, operating critically needed foodbanks in London. He was thanked by the organisation for ensuring that hundreds of single-parent families had their lives lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity pointed out that, without Jamie Ritblat’s personal intervention, it would have been forced to dramatically scale down efforts. With Mr Ritblat’s personal support and commitment, Dads House was able to offer a foodbank for those in need in London’s Earls Court and Elephant & Castle areas. This provided vital support to single-parent families struggling to afford food or reach the shops during the COVID lockdowns, who also faced the added pressure of home-schooling their children alone.
Jamie Ritblat’s support facilitated 28,000 visits to Dads House’s Elephant & Castle food bank between April and September 2020. His intervention also paved the way for the organisation’s West Brompton food bank to receive 20,545 visits from March 2020 to March 2022, as well as providing a delivery service to at-risk single-parent families who were self-isolating.
When lockdown regulations were lifted, Dads House organised an Iranian Night which was visited by 600 guests, as well as an Afghan Night which was attended by 250.
About Dads House
Dads House was created to provide single-parent families with emotional support, helping to combat isolation and loneliness by providing parents with someone to chat to on the phone or in person at the charity’s drop-in centre. Dads House also provides help services such as accommodation and housing, breakfast clubs and a family law clinic.
Founded by William McGranaghan with the aim of helping single fathers with the practicalities of raising their children alone, Dads House operates with the ethos that no child should be left out after separation, divorce or bereavement.
The charity’s Family Law Clinic operates on Wednesdays and Fridays. Led by Simon Bruce of Dawson Cornwall, the Family Law Clinic team also includes William Hogg of Laurus Law, barrister Simon Miller, and Veryan Exelby, Senior Counsel of Farrer and Co. Working alongside the charity’s partners at Coram Chambers, the Family Law Clinic team also rely on an amazing panel of law students generously giving their time to offer support.
Dads House operates a life coaching programme designed to help those with level 1 depression, which is orientated on listening and talking therapies. The charity also runs a buddy service, supporting fathers by providing one-to-one consultations, that has helped more than 10,000 fathers over the last 12 years.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May praised Dads House for bringing together dads to share their experiences and receive practical and emotional support, connecting single fathers across the county and having a profound impact on their lives.
For more than seven years now, Dads House has been running food banks. Partnering with Delancey Real Estate enabled the charity to open premises in Elephant & Castle, which were completely free of charge throughout the pandemic. From these premises, Dads House operates a foodbank, family law advice centre, drop-in centre and book club, as well as offering guitar lessons and alcohol and drug testing.
Prior to the pandemic, Dads House support around 50 families a week. However, the arrival of COVID-19 drove demand to catastrophic levels, with Dads House providing food and support for more than 800 families a day.
Currently located at 22 Lillie Road, London, near West Brompton Tube Station, Dads House’s community foodbank is open Monday to Friday, from 10am to 3pm. The facility serves not just fathers but the whole community, including mothers, families, old people and young people from every walk of life.
Dads House’s Breakfast Club has been operating for seven years now. On Saturday mornings, fathers are invited to bring children aged from under a year to seven years old. Everyone is fed, with allowances made for special dietary needs. For fathers, the Breakfast Club provides more than just food, serving as a mutual support network and presenting the opportunity for them to share their experiences and help others.
Recognising that the pressure on single fathers can sometimes be overwhelming, Dads House launched its Cooking With Dads YouTube channel, with easy-to-follow videos guiding fathers through the process of preparing simple dishes they can share with their children.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Dads House, representing approximately 95% of its team. Recognising that its supporters lie at the very heart of all of its operations, Dads House has made honouring and building this relationship a priority.
For those interested in becoming involved with the charity, more information is available on the Dads House website.
