An evening with a former prime minister’s wife raised £25,000 for a Jewish charity.

Cherie Blair, who is married to Tony Blair, who served as the Labour leader between 1997 to 2007, was the star guest at Norwood’s YN Lawyers Reception.

The charity, which supports people with disabilities, is based in The Broadway, Stanmore, and has centres in Hendon and Finchley.

During the evening, Cherie, the charity’s patron of children’s services, spoke about the Human Rights Act, legal aid cuts and quotas for women on company boards.

Sharing the stage with journalist and broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer, Cherie Blair argued that the 1970s expansion of legal aid led to a burst of innovation in employment, discrimination and disability law.

She went on to warn that cuts to the scheme could put off young lawyers from poorer backgrounds from choosing human rights, leading to a worrying lack of diversity within the profession.

The appeal speech was delivered by Talia Aziz, who has a learning disability and benefited from the charity’s educational support services.

She graduated last year with qualifications in maths and English and is a keen artist.

She said: “Because of Norwood I feel like I can make my dreams comes true.”

Speaking after the event, Cherie Blair said: “I’ve seen for myself the incredible work Norwood do for young children with additional needs, and I’ve seen the transforming effect that this has, not just on the children themselves but their families as well.

“The YN group here really shows that lawyers are committed to changing the world and to helping charities like Norwood make a real difference, as well as bringing dignity to the lives of vulnerable people.”

More than 180 people attended the event, which was hosted by Investec and sponsored by Withers Worldwide.