ONE of the area’s oldest charities has revealed the enormous financial hit that Covid has caused.

The Beacon Centre, which has been supporting people with sight loss for 145 years, is losing more than £100,000 a month because of coronavirus.

In the first six months of the pandemic it lost £682,000 and it expects that figure to grow considerably in the next weeks as its normal Christmas fundraising events are scrapped and all its shops closed in November.

Now the charity, which has centres at Sedgley and Stourbridge and a shop at Halesowen, has launched an online raffle in a bid to reduce its ‘funding crisis’.

It ran a similar raffle in the summer and hopes the Christmas initiative will be even more popular.

Some ‘fantastic prizes’ are promised at the price of just £2 per raffle number.

They include:

  • Family day ticket for Hoo Farm in Telford;
  • Family ticket to Dudley Zoo
  • Family ticket to the Mini Pro Golf Park in Kidderminster
  • Two tickets to Habberley Trail in Kidderminster;
  • Christmas hampers from Taylors Greengrocers and Florist, Wimborne;
  • Afternoon tea for two at Mad Hatters Tea Room in Gornal Village
  • Gift voucher to Flip Out Oldbury

Beacon Centre Fundraising coordinator Sarah Dovey said: “We would like to thank all the organisations who have donated a wonderful prize.

“We want to ensure that no one with sight loss is left feeling alone this Christmas and if you buy a ticket, you’ll be helping us to support people when they need us the most.”

To get your ticket head to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/beaconchristmasraffle

The raffle will be drawn on December 14