A CHARITY fundraiser held at Barry Yacht Club help raise more than £1,000 for the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital.

Hosted by the St John Council for Cardiff and the Vale, the vice chairman, Colin Jones, presented a cheque for £1,050 to the Hospitaller of St John Cymru Wales, Dr Akram Baig.

Dr Baig offered his thanks for the donation and explained how the Eye Hospital in Jerusalem develops the knowledge and skills of doctors and nurses. St John Cymru Wales sponsors a full-time doctor at the facility as well as a seamstress who is responsible for sewing all of the uniforms.

The hospital saw 128,000 patients in 2015 including 16,760 as part of their mobile outreach programme. More than 5,000 sight-saving operations were performed in a region where eye disease causing blindness is 10 times more common than in developed countries.

The St John Council has responsibility for raising funds to train and equip the many St John Cymru Wales volunteers in the area as well generating support for the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital.

Six St John Cymru Wales cadets from the Barry Rescue Division attended the event with senior officers, Kevin Hamill and Claire Cosslet. They spoke to guests about their role in the organisation and how their volunteering has helped the community.

Mr Jones said: “We had a fantastic evening and our guests were thrilled with their fish’n’chip supper and wonderful entertainment. We’re delighted to be able to support the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital and we hope these funds can help contribute towards the hospital’s vital work in the area.”

If you would like to make a donation to the St John Council for Cardiff and the Vale, please contact the council treasurer at stjohncardiffvale@gmail.com