A CASH-STRAPPED Black Country charity for the elderly is to stop offering Sunday lunches to pensioners - just weeks after announcing its day care centre in Stourbridge is to close.

Bosses at Age Concern Stourbridge and Halesowen confirmed earlier this month that due to funding woes they had been forced to take the "sad" decision to shut the charity's popular day care facility based at Mary Stevens Centre in Oldswinford.

And now - they are also set to stop offering weekend meals to the over 50s at the Elton Centre.

Chief officer Dionne Legge said: "Our last one will be Sunday July 30.

"The Sunday cook has left and it doesn't make any profit most weeks, it mostly makes a loss so we have decided not to try and recruit to fill the post at this time."

The charity has been struggling to survive since losing its local authority grant from April 1 this year - and in addition Age Concern bosses were told they would have to find £15,400 rent per year if the organisation retained a base at the Dudley Council managed Mary Stevens Centre.

Following the loss of the grant and with bills mounting up - charity chiefs decided they would have no choice but to move day care services from Hagley Road in Stourbridge to the charity's existing Green Lane centre in Blackheath from September 4 to help save cash to keep the organisation going.

Meals, activities, trips and holidays will continue to be offered at the Elton Centre, next to Stourbridge Interchange bus and train station, on week days but the centre will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays from July 30.

Dionne said: "The plan is to remain open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 2pm for cafe breakfasts, lunch and food to take away, with activities running from 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

"And in September we are aiming to re-launch the Elton Centre as a Community Hub for all and a Community Cafe and if it becomes a success and people say they need weekend services we will look to see if we can afford to restart."