Current Stapely president Carole Wiseman was the daughter of one of its founding fathers, Sol Bennett.

Mrs Wiseman, who was 11 when the home was founded, read me extracts relevant to the founding of Stapely from her father’s memoirs.

In 1948 Mr Bennett was invited to attend a meeting in the library of Greenbank Drive Synagogue to discuss provision for elderly Liverpool Jews who were not able to care for themselves.

The meeting was convened by chairman Harry Carr after a request for a Liverpool wing in the Manchester Jewish Home for the Aged was turned down due to lack of space.

Mr Carr felt that with Liverpool’s already decreasing Jewish population, it would be practically impossible to find the funds to maintain such an institution.

But with his previous fundraising experience in the JNF and JIA, Mr Bennett felt that Liverpool Jewry “could and would support” such a home and agreed to accept the position of honorary secretary with the warning that he would “not sit still”.

He found a detached building in Sandown Park, which had previously been used as a nursing home.

It belonged to Harry Carr’s brother, Jack, but the committee considered it too small.

Then Harry Carr came up with the present building on North Mossley Hill Road, which they were able to purchase “at a very low price”.

A fundraising appeal was launched with Mr Bennett elected joint treasurer with Harry Epstein, the grandfather of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein.

The home’s official opening ceremony took place on September 4, 1949, hosted by Max Davidson in the presence of Liverpool’s Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Alderman and Mrs J J Clear.

Also among the founders were Lord Cohen of Birkenhead, Jack Morris, Phil Sherman, Sydney Halpern and Jack Rubin.

Lord Cohen’s sister, Anne Compton, chaired the Linen Guild, a ladies committee committed to supplying comforts for the residents, including bed linen.

Hundreds of guests attended the opening ceremony, which was performed by Max Davidson. The many guests spilled over into Stapely’s grounds where the service in the home’s small synagogue, was relayed to them.

Senior Jewish Chaplain to the Armed Forces Rev Dr Isaac Levy said the home “reflected credit on the local Jewish community and revealed the warm-heartedness of its contributors”.

He hoped that the residents would “spend the rest of their years in peace”.

The event ended with a dinner at Greenbank Drive Synagogue Hall, attended by more than 300 guests.

Speakers included president of the Council of Liverpool and District Jews, Dr I J Lipkin and Sir Henry Cohen who paid tribute to notable Jews who had benefited Merseyside, including former Lord Mayor Alderman Louis Cohen and his relative David Cohen.

Mrs Wiseman recalled Stapely’s early garden parties where she was taken by her mother.

She said: “They were very grand. All the ladies wore hats.”

Mr Bennett was elected Stapely chairman in 1949 and president the following year.

In 1958 the hospital wing was built in the house next door, which had been purchased to care for elderly bed-ridden patients and provide them with medical and minor surgical care.

Between 1993-1997 the home underwent major refurbishment and upgrading with the addition of an extra seven rooms to accommodate a total of 39 residential rooms, plus 37 in the nursing wing.

In order to comply with the local authority’s “single room policy”, the 12-bedded Lottie Rubin Wing, donated by Sim Rubin to mark his mother’s 100th birthday, was opened by Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks in 1995.

Mrs Wiseman is serving her second term as president.

Earlier this year plans to sell the current North Mossley Hill Road site and relocate behind Childwall Hebrew Congregation were put on hold when the purchaser was hit by the credit crunch.

Mrs Wiseman has passed the family tradition on to her daughter Wendy Blumenow who is also a member of the board.

Last week Stapely received its dual registration status for both nursing and residential care.

A ladies guild coffee morning at the home of Anne Geey raised £550 and a garden fete will take place on July 12.