We sit down with David Delew, new Chief Executive of The Nicky, as he takes on his new role.
When former Chief Executive of The Nicky, Michelle Wiseman, stepped down from the position at the beginning of December, the question on everyone’s minds was who could possibly step up to the plate? Thankfully for the community, former CST Chief Executive David Delew was happy to take over: “I’ve known my predecessor Michelle for a long, long time. Basically, she decided to retire and several people approached me to see if I would be interested. The process too six months to finalize so I was delighted when I was finally able to take over from Michele.”
David has a personal connection to The Nicky which made him keen to help out: “The Nicky means a lot to me. My late mother came to The Nicky for a year, I moved her to Manchester when I retired from CST. She lived in London and my father passed away. I saw that The Nicky was very much a gamechanger for me, and a life-changer for her. She didn’t know anyone in Manchester, and I introduced her to The Nicky and she made so many new friends in such a short space of time. And for me, it meant that I didn’t need to worry about her every day. Was she having a good meal, was she sat watching TV all day long or was she actually socialising with people? Because it meant so much to me, I took on the position.”
Taking over from Michelle, David has some big shoes to fill, but Michelle was happy to offer some advice: “Everyone looks at Michelle as The Nicky,” David shared “She’d been here so long. It really was her baby, and she put so much into it. So she shared insight into where the challenges were with me, but mostly she talked about all the great bits about the organisation.”
As someone who has received an OBE for his services to the Jewish community, it’s no surprise that David has big plans to expand The Nicky’s reach in the community: “There’s no secret that fundraising is a huge element. I’ll be looking at where we can obtain financial support and resources. We’re also looking to grow the membership further and we’re looking to raise the profile of The Nicky within the community. We’ll also be looking at the various services we’re offering to see if there are any new opportunities where we may be able to serve the community. This is very much a community centre, so we want to see whether we can attract other users of the building.”
In such financially difficult times, the charity is facing significant challenges: “I think The Nicky is facing the same financial challenges as other organisations, such as the increase in utility costs. This is not a building where we can have our members sitting in the cold or the dark. We have to ensure that the building is properly heated and well-lit, but those costs have gone through the roof for everyone. In a way, it may well attract more members because it means that they won’t have to be at home and worry about the cost of heating. They can come to us and keep warm as a member of The Nicky while making it their very own social club where they make new friends and reconnect with old acquaintances.”
Thenicky.org.uk