A former Mayor of Dudley has handed over more than £27,000 to his three chosen charities for the Covid-hit second year of his term in office.

Councillor David Stanley unusually served two terms in office as the borough’s first citizen due to the coronavirus pandemic and was Mayor from May 2019 to May last year.

He joined outgoing mayor, Councillor Anne Millward, in the mayor’s parlour to welcome representatives from his three charities for 2020/21 – Black Country Foodbank, St John Ambulance and Victim Support, Dudley.

A total of £27,762 was raised in his second year in office - and each charity was handed a cheque for £9,254. This follows on from the £23,930.50 raised in 2019/20, which was split equally between Macmillan Cancer Support and The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and Black Country. Councillor Stanley said:

"I am delighted to have helped raise such a significant amount which will make a real difference for three very worthy charities.

"I would like to thank people for their generosity, especially during such a difficult time when money has been tight for a lot of people and jobs have been on the line.

"It was a real honour being the first citizen of the borough and having the pleasure of going out and meeting so many wonderful people."

Val Hamilton, area manager for Victim Support, added:

"Victim Support provides free, confidential support to those affected by crime in the Dudley borough and supports over 1,000 people per year.

"This generous donation is so gratefully received and will go towards building awareness and accessibility of our services in Dudley to reach more people impacted by crime. We would like to thank Councillor Stanley so much for his amazing fundraising efforts."

Jen Coleman, chief executive officer for Black Country Foodbank, said: "Black Country Food Bank are so grateful for the funds raised by Councillor Stanley, which have arrived at a crucial time.

"Our services are in high demand and the funds will enable us to continue providing emergency food and toiletry parcels for those in crisis in Dudley."

Carol Littler, unit manager for Sedgley and Upper Gornal St John’s Ambulance, added: "On behalf of St John Ambulance, I would like to thank Councillor Stanley for choosing us as one of his charities when he was Mayor.

"We shall be using it across the borough to improve the experience for our volunteers and young people. We shall also be using it to fund the opening of a new unit in Netherton."