AN historic football competition has raised £4,000 for Beacon Centre for the Blind.

Since its first match in 1926 the JW Hunt Cup has raised £369,000 for the Beacon Centre and this year their efforts have continued despite not playing a match due to Covid.

Instead of the competition, the cup organised a raffle after raising £9,000 for the charity in 2020.

JW Hunt Cup president Alex Hamil MBE said: “Sir Jack Hayward said that the cup is part of Wolverhampton’s history and we are proud to continue its legacy despite the impact of Covid-19.”

Beacon Centre chief executive Lisa Cowley added: “The JW Hunt Cup has made a real difference for people living with sight loss.

“We are so incredibly grateful for the support from organisers, never more so than now due to the impact the pandemic has had on our charity. We have sadly lost almost £700,000 in vital income over the past 12 months.

“The fact that the JW Hunt Cup team have been able to raise £4,000 during lockdown is just amazing. We’d like to thank everyone involved in the cup for their dedication in continuing to support us as well as everyone who entered the raffle and helped support someone with sight loss.”

The cup is named in memory of founder John William Hunt, owner of the Chillington Tool Company, who died before the first competition was completed.