FURNESS artists have won a top award in a national charity competition.

Finsthwaite Art Group was named by Fight for Sight as its top fund-raiser, after the painters raised £750 in a series of raffles, auctions and coffee mornings.

The competition, part of the Art for Sight's Sake money-making campaign, aimed to help some of the 120 people who lose their sight every day in the United Kingdom.

Fight for Sight raises more than £2 million annually to fund vital research in the prevention and treatment of blinding eye conditions.

Founder of Finsthwaite Art Group Monica Boothroyd said most of the members wore spectacles and several suffered eye conditions, including cataracts and glaucoma.

The group will receive a selection of fine art videos and paint brushes as its prize.