MP visits charity

Beacon Centre for the Blind, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2025, received a visit to its centre in Wolverhampton Road East, Sedgley, to give the MP a tour and the chance to meet staff.

The charity which supports people living with a range of sight conditions across the Black Country and Staffordshire is marking its landmark with a programme of fundraising activities to ensure the vital support they provide to those with sight loss can continue.

CEO Lisa Cowley gave Ms Kumar an overview of the charity, its work and the impact it makes on annual basis.

More than 37,000 people across the Black Country are affected by sight loss and sight conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, tunnel vision and glaucoma.

Beacon’s vision is a society where individuals value and protect their sight and where visual impairment does not limit or determine opportunity.

Over the last 12 months Beacon has run 280 activity sessions including bowling, swimming, cookery and pottery in addition to facilitating 180 employment and skills referrals to help individuals secure meaningful work and financial independence.

Lisa Cowley said: “As we prepare to mark our 150th anniversary it was a pleasure to show Sonia Kumar around our site to understand our work firsthand and to meet the staff who contribute as well as the people living with sight loss who benefit from our support.

“We are proud of our heritage from our beginning in 1875 to the modern services we provide to help people in the Black Country and Staffordshire to live well with sight loss.

“Like many charities we are having to adapt to recent taxation changes made by the Government so it was good to be able to speak to Sonia as our local MP about our plans, especially given her role on the Business and Trade Committee.”

Following the visit on Friday (December 20^th) Sonia Kumar MP said: “I was pleased to be given the opportunity to visit Beacon Centre for the Blind to receive a briefing on the tremendous work they deliver for people living with sight loss.

“With my background as an NHS physiotherapist I appreciate the impact they make and congratulate them on reaching their 150^th anniversary, which is a tremendous achievement. I wish them the best for their celebration year and look forward to seeing their further progress.”