A social club for visually impaired people living in the Dudley area has been saved from the brink of collapse after scores of volunteers came forward to help.

The Beacon Centre for the Blind was forced to issue an urgent appeal for volunteers to help run their Sedgley and Netherton group after their volunteer numbers dwindled to zero – leaving just one member of staff to cope alone.

But their appeal, featured in the Express & Star, did not fall on deaf ears and around 17 people offered to give up their time to help organise activities for the club which meets once a fortnight at Jack Newell Court in Coseley.

“The response we had was absolutely fantastic,” said Emma Macaulay from the Beacon Centre for the Blind.

The volunteers who put their names forward must now undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check before they take up a position at the social club. The club runs between 10am and 3pm every other Tuesday hosting activities such as bingo and quizzes for blind and visually impaired people.

Free training is offered to all registered volunteers with the charity whose headquarters in Wolverhampton Road East is currently under-going redevelopment.

The volunteers will help to organise the activities as well as serving and clearing away refreshments. Miss Macaulay said: “I have been getting loads of calls about the social club so we can’t rule out even more people getting in touch.

“When we launched the appeal I said I would be happy with two or three so to get this much interest is brilliant.”

“As soon as the CRB checks come back from the police we will get to work enrolling the volunteers,” .

“We are absolutely over the moon with the response and are really grateful to everyone who contacted us.”