Variety is the spice of life for couple given lifetime service award

A couple whose charitable endeavours have helped fund more than 5,000 wheelchairs for children and young people have been honoured with a lifetime service award.

Neil and Pamela Sinclair from St John’s Wood, have been instrumental in the shaping of Variety, a charity which works to improve the lives of disabled and disadvantaged children and young people across the UK through providing wheelchair and equipment grants, their famous sunshine coaches, days out and internships.

Since joining the charity in 1972, Neil, 81, has chaired a number of committees, including the annual dinner and ball, events and fundraising. Neil co-founded the charity’s Gastronomic Dinner and PROPS Awards, now a flagship event within the property industry, which has raised over £12 million and funded more than 2,000 wheelchairs. He became a trustee of Variety in 1984 and chair of trustees - “chief barker” - in 1991.

Pamela, 75, started volunteering for Variety charity 50 years ago as part of the Variety at Work committee, and in 1985, became one of the first women to join Variety when female “barkers” (members) were allowed for the first time.

She was a founding member of the Wheelchair Committee in the early 90s, co-chair in 1998 and later a trustee, funding and donating of over 3,000 powered, specially adapted wheelchairs and sports wheelchairs. In 2016, Pamela was elected chief barker and founded the Variety Catherine Awards,  which recognise the achievements of female entrepreneurs.

Pamela and Neil Sinclair & Jacob at Variety's 33rd annual PROPS awards (Photo: Fergus Burnett/fergusburnett.com)[Missing Credit]

Neil told the JC that he first got involved in Variety “for completely the wrong reasons”, recalling that it came about following a conversation at a Miss World property lunch he was invited to by Granada TV in in 1972. “I wasn’t married and was in a room with 130 lovely ladies. I was seated next to Miss Brazil. She was really clever and studying to be a doctor. It was a great lunch, and at the end of it, the host said to me: ‘Do you want to join Variety?’ I immediately said: ‘Where do I sign?’”

One of his first roles was as a member of the film premiere committee, selling tickets and brochure space. “I was in real estate, but through Variety, I was meeting people I would never have met – Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Roger Moore was a big supporter.”

Neil Sinclair at the PROPS (Photo: Fergus Burnett/fergusburnett.com)fergusburnett.com

At the same time as rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, Neil said that his involvement with the charity had also exposed him to the impact of extreme poverty. “Every year, Pamela would ask members of the Thames Motor Yacht Club to donate their boats for a day to take children down the river. I remember asking one boy if he was enjoying the trip. He was embarrassed to tell me that this was the first time he had ever seen the Thames.”

Pamela said that one of the occasions she most fondly recalled was at Stanmore Orthopaedic Hospital, watching some of the patients playing wheelchair basketball at an event she had organised. “It was very rewarding to see disabled children being able to participate in sport and receive a medal. Some of the children I have helped over the years went on to become Paralympians.”

She said that her involvement with the charity had changed her perception of people with disabilities. “My involvement with some of the children has shown how brave they are. To this day I go out of my way to help a disabled person as I appreciate the daily difficulties they have to encounter.”

Lionel Rosenblatt, Pamela Sinclair, Michael McIntyre & Sam at the 16th Gastronomic event held by Variety[Missing Credit]

For both of them, who are members of the Central Synagogue, their Jewish identity has played a key role in their commitment to the charity. “There is no question that Jewish people are exceptionally charitable,” says Neil. “In my career, I used to deal with big London agents, and there was some notorious antisemitism. One day, I heard that the daughter of one of them was very ill, so I rang him up and wished her better.”

When his daughter recovered, the agent contacted Neil. “He said to me: ‘80 per cent of the people who got in touch with me were Jewish. Why was that?’ I said to him that every Friday night, families get together, and a bond is created. Family is every important to us, so when I heard about his daughter, I had to call him. Now he is a big friend of the Jews.”

For Pamela, it is the experience of belonging to a minority that has spurred her to advocate for disabled and disadvantaged children “as I can imagine how extra difficult it must be for them”.

Neil Sinclair and Dante at the VARIETY Catherine Awards 2018[Missing Credit]

Having raised some £25m for the charity over their 50-plus years of involvement, while they are now stepping back from Variety, they hope that others will take up the baton. “It was Margaret Thatcher who said: ‘If you want a job done, give it to a busy person,’” said Neil. “Don’t say that you haven’t got time to do something. Make the effort, and you will find that it is incredibly rewarding.”

In a statement, the charity said that Neil and Pamela’s “lifelong dedication, leadership, and philanthropic spirit have been instrumental in shaping Variety’s success, ensuring that thousands of children receive the support and opportunities they deserve. As we present them with the Lifetime Service Award, we celebrate their profound impact, their unwavering passion, and the lasting legacy they have built within Variety and beyond.”