Dudley Castle
Queen Alexandra College (QAC) in Birmingham, and Beacon Centre for the Blind in Wolverhampton have a shared vision; to make life easier for people with vision impairments and disabilities.
Both organisations work to offer practical and emotional support to people with disabilities, in particular vision impairments, and create opportunities for them to live and to work as independently as possible.
QAC works with young people aged 16-25, helping them gain skills, confidence and qualifications to help them move forward in life. They also offer an employment support programme to help people with disabilities get into work. Beacon Centre for the Blind provides residential and community support programmes, offering a range of recreational, advice and social activities for people with vision impairment to enjoy.
As charities, both organisations rely on supporter donations and fundraising events to raise awareness and much needed income to make things possible.
This year they are excited to be organising a joint fundraising event on Sunday 20th May, inviting people to step over the edge and abseil down Dudley Castle. Beacon Centre has hosted the event previously, but this time is looking forward to working with QAC and generating more support. Karen Gullick, Community Fundraiser at Beacon Centre says “the event has been a great success in the past, and hopefully by working together we will make it an even bigger success this year!”
The event is open to anyone and everyone to take part, all they need to do is raise a minimum of £75 sponsorship (although there is a prize for the person who raises the most!).
Friends and family can join the fun on the day too, taking advantage of the reduced price entrance that Dudley Zoo are offering spectators. So after your jump you can all take a walk with the lemurs, monkeys, other animals, and enjoy the zoo’s Sensory Awareness Day, taking place on the same day.
Money raised from the event will be equally shared between QAC and Beacon Centre and will be put towards a range of projects to support their service users.
Sarah Caldwell, Corporate & Community Fundraiser at QAC says “we are really looking forward to this joint event and hope lots of people from the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley areas will sign up and show their support for QAC and Beacon, and also see what a great place Dudley Zoo is!”.
If you would like to sign up, or find out more about the event, please contact Sarah Caldwell on 0121 428 5064 or Karen Gullick on 01902 880 111.