A GRANT from Marlborough Town Council to a group in the town has saved it from closure.

Linda Chapman who runs Marlborough’s Macular Support Group, supporting people with vision conditions, says she is incredibly grateful for the £500 donation from the town council through their small grants scheme.

“If we did not have the funding we would have probably have only lasted for another six months,” she said.

“Our gratitude is enormous. We would have been at the end of the road without the support.”

The self-help group meets on the last Thursday of each month from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Wesley Hall, in Oxford Street near the High Street.

It is a branch of the Macular Society which has its headquarters in Andover and helps and raises awareness of Macular disease - an eye condition that causes loss of central vision, usually in both eyes.

Mayor Margaret Rose presented Mrs Chapman with the cheque last week. The money will be going towards hiring a mini bus for trips and social events, as well as for guest speakers.

Marlborough’s Macular Support Group was set up four years and Mrs Chapman initially joined as a member, as she has sight issues herself, before she took over running it.

She said: “We are a fairly new group and we offer advice and a social life for people with visual difficulties. We have experts and visit rehabilitation centres.

“There are 14 of us in the group but we do struggle to get recommendations from clinics.

“We are always looking for volunteers and we serve tea and biscuits in the afternoon. It would also be good if we could get more sighted people to volunteer to play bingo with us.”

To contact Mrs Chapman for more information or to volunteer call: (01672) 512471 or email tinribs55@gmail.com