A BLACK Country charity for the blind has netted £7,000 from the proceeds of the historic football tournament, the JW Hunt Cup.

The tournament, which has been part of the Midlands' sporting calendar since 1926, is open to all local amateur teams but it was the Black Country Rangers who lifted the trophy after defeating Wolverhampton Casuals 4-3 in a thrilling match last May at the Molineux Stadium.

The hefty sum, which was generated through last season's entry and programme fees, was given to The Beacon Centre for the Blind, based in Sedgley, recently, to help people with sight loss across the borough live fuller and more independent lives.

The centre's fundraising manager, Jenni Fryer, said: “We are extremely proud to be associated with this historic competition, and grateful to everyone involved in the JW Hunt Cup for raising this incredible amount of money to help people who are blind or visually impaired in the Black Country.

“Sadly, more than 167,000 people in the West Midlands have sight problems so all donations are vitally important to ensure we continue to offer local people the finest facilities and support, from providing permanent accommodation in Wolverhampton, to advising people about the specialist equipment available, to practical advice on living with sight loss skills."

She continued: “We are all avid football fans here at the Beacon Centre and offer our congratulations to Black Country Rangers for a fine performance last season. We’ll be watching very closely this season to see if they can pull off a third win in what we are sure will be closely fought matches throughout the competition.”