CAMPAIGNERS trying to save a home for the blind from closure say they are well on the way to meeting the £20,000 target they must reach this year.A series of fundraising events plus the launch of a new cash lottery has already raised thousands of pounds for the St Felix Home for the Blind - with nearly six months still to the deadline.

CAMPAIGNERS trying to save a home for the blind from closure say they are well on the way to meeting the £20,000 target they must reach this year.

A series of fundraising events plus the launch of a new cash lottery has already raised thousands of pounds for the St Felix Home for the Blind - with nearly six months still to the deadline.

Fundraiser Sally Thomson said the support and enthusiasm of the public had been wonderful and the fundraising team was confident it would meet its goal.

She said: “The Friends of St Felix are a group of residents who have got together determined to raise the money to keep the home going.

“We have already held a number of fundraising activities and have planned a lot more.

“The generosity of everybody, including businesses, has been overwhelming and we are well on the way to meeting our target for the year.”

Fundraising stands at around £10,000 but will not be a one-off event. To keep the home in Princes Road, Felixstowe, going the group will have to raise around £20,000 every year.

The home's summer fete had attracted more than 300 people and raised more than £1,600 towards the residents' comfort fund.

The next event is on September 27 when the friends will be staging a fashion show at the Hotel Elizabeth Orwell in partnership with Dress Sense and Gorgeous Club evening dresses.

Tickets are £5, available from Dress Sense, Orwell Road, or Cherrie MacGregor on 01394 279826.

The friends are also working on an auction of promises to be held in November at MCP plc's headquarters, the former Felixstowe College chapel in Maybush Lane - and letters have been sent to a wide variety of businesses seeking gifts and promises.

Earlier this year it was feared the St Felix would close after Ipswich Blind Society said it was no longer economically viable.

After a campaign by residents of the home, families and supporters, the society did a U-turn and agreed it would not close - but its future would be reviewed in six months.

How important do you think it is to keep the St Felix? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk