Charity set for £3.2m revamp

This dramatic aerial shot shows how one of the Black Country’s most loved charity centres has been reduced to rubble – ready for a £3.2 million transformation which is going to take it into a new era.

The demolition of the centre’s out-dated main building in Sedgley’s Wolverhampton Road East, which began in September, is almost complete. Work on the 71 new flats and homes for blind and partially sighted people could start in the next few weeks.

The building housed the administration offices, function and social rooms and charity shop.

Beacon Centre for the Blind still needs to raise another £2.4 million to supplement grants from the Government and other organisations.

But the centre’s appeal officer Kate Fletcher said work was progressing well.

The redevelopment is still on course to be completed by June 2009.

“The demolition stage of the work is almost complete and we hope the new buildings will start to go up in the next few weeks,” she said.

“We are in the process of raising the money we need to complete the work and we’re appealing for the local community to get on board and support us.

“It is predicted there will be a dramatic rise in the numbers of visually impaired people by 2020 because of the increasing numbers of elderly people. The new buildings will provide state-of-the-art facilities.”

She added: “I’d like to stress the centre is still open and the services which have been affected by the work have been relocated to other buildings on the site.”

In existence since 1875, Beacon Centre for the Blind offers a range of services to blind and partially sighted people. The charity offers choice to more than 3,000 visually impaired people through residential care, day care and community services for those living in Dudley, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Staffordshire.