Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind on the lookout for 'angel or angels' to help it secure support for visually impaired people in the city for years to come - The Coventry Observer

Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind on the lookout for 'angel or angels' to help it secure support for visually impaired people in the city for years to come

Coventry Editorial 11th Jul, 2017   0

A COVENTRY charity is looking for an ‘angel or angels’ to help it secure support for visually impaired people in the city for years to come.

Earlsdon-based Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind has the chance to buy the former care home next to its current premises at a major discount, but needs a loan of around £200,000 to seal the deal as soon as possible.

The charity is looking for someone – or some people – who could lend it the money until a fundraising appeal raises enough to pay them back.

General manager Hugh Sorrill said: “This is a unique opportunity for the Resource Centre to buy the premises we currently use, as well as the whole site and all the buildings on it. It would allow us to work with other organisations and charities to provide a true focus for services for visually impaired people in Coventry well into the future.”




He continued: “We have already raised a significant portion of the purchase price – which is considerably less than the market value of the site – but we need help to get over the finish line.

“There is no risk for those lending us the money because of the instant equity in the site. However we are up against a tight deadline. We need to find an angel who might be willing to lend us the money now for a year or two.”


Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind has grown hugely since it started opening for just two days a week in 2010. Now open five days a week, it offers a wide range of skills training and social activities, from clubs and crafts to cooking and computers, designed to support people with visual impairments and help them live fully and actively.

“There is no doubt that losing your sight has a very big impact on your life,” added Mr Sorrill.

“Sight loss is something that particularly affects older people and can really knock your confidence to do anything, from making a cup of tea to going out and meeting people.

“It often leads to dependence, depression and poor physical health. Our mission at the Resource Centre is to break that cycle and we really see the difference in people after just a few weeks.

“We want to help more people both now and in the future. If we can buy the premises, we will be able to broaden our range of activities and work with other organisations to provide a one-stop-shop for people struggling to cope with sight loss.”

If you think you can help Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind, please call 024 7671 7522 and speak to Hugh Sorrill. You can find out more about the charity by visiting the website www.coventryblind.org.uk

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