2024-03-01-accounts

The Cerebral Visual Impairment Society

Charity No. 1155765

Trustees Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24

16[th] December 2024

For Period 2[nd] March 2023 – 1[st] March 2024

Charity Details

The Cerebral Visual Impairment Society (The CVI Society) Registered Charity Number: 1155765

Wyngarth, 15 Furlong Close, Fontwell, West Sussex. BN18 0UU.

Trustees

Charlotte Eldridge Baker

Janet Harwood – Chair of Trustees

Suzanne Little

Katherine Nason

Dawn Tennison – Secretary and Treasurer

Jean Thompson

Structure, Governance and Management

The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Institution (Foundation Model) Charitable status was granted on 13[th] February 2014.

Full details are in the charity’s governing document.

Objectives

The objectives of The CVI Society are to relieve the charitable needs of people with cerebral visual impairment and their families and carers by the provision of services, advice and support as the trustees shall determine.

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Main Activities

The CVI Society undertakes the following activities:

• Further developing networks and links to other organisations, including other charities.

• Continued awareness raising of CVIs and training for parents and professionals by individual trustees and as a group.

• Organisation of an annual convention for parents, people with CVI and professional delegates

• Providing advice and support and advocacy to families and professionals via website contact, direct contact and social media

• • Trustees with a professional status speak at events, both national and regional, to raise awareness of CVIs and deliver training on the condition.

Main Achievements of the Year:

• We have no paid staff and minimal running costs however trustees are actively looking at future ways of raising funds to allow us to provide extra services and grow. A trustee has a contact who is experienced in grant application, has met with us and is looking at potential funding sources to enable us to grow and widen our impact alongside covering basic administration costs, website running and development and courses which would develop trustee’s skills relevant to their roles. Income at present is reliant on donations from supporters or from some organisations for whom we have provided training. Expenditure is minimal at present, the running of the website and very occasional expenses incurred carrying out activities on behalf of the charity.

• There has been no change in trustees, we have appointed a new Young Ambassador who has cerebral visual impairment to join our other two Young Ambassadors. They are writing blogs for our website which are greatly appreciated by families and also other young adults with the condition.

• Young Ambassadors have also represented us as appropriate raising awareness of the condition and its impact.

• Policies have been restructured and updated as appropriate.

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• Increased provision of direct support and general advice to families, young adults with the condition, and increasingly adults and professionals supporting them.

• The decision to reinstate our ‘in person’ convention was made last year and was held in April 2023. This was well received by many families and people with the condition, alongside professionals. Keynote speakers were booked and spoke alongside parents of children with the cerebral visual impairment and young adults living with the condition. Over 130 delegates attended.

• Since Covid 19 educational tribunal cases are conducted virtually. We have supported families to successful outcomes for children concerned but further requests for expertise at tribunals at present must be limited due to capacity and time involved in report preparation.

• The continued transfer to virtual meetings via ‘Zoom’ and ‘Teams’ has meant that we continue to attend many virtual meetings on behalf of children and families to provide advocacy.

• We have also provided much more virtual training, some bespoke to individuals and some general training to organisations including other charities. More recently after carrying out training for a County Rehabilitation Officers Team we have been asked to carry out training on CVI on behalf of The Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network, the first session will take place in April 2024 with two further days to follow.

• Our social media following continues to grow – our main Facebook page reach increases, providing general CVI information and links to posts on the website. We have added more blogposts written by people with CVIs to the main website.

• Our closed Facebook forum continues to grow, we now have over 925 members. This continues to link families and those with CVI as a confidential space where they can gain mutual support and share advice. We have also started a forum for adults with the condition.

• Our main Facebook page has over 2.600 followers.

• In person attendance to deliver training on CVIs and links with the University of Birmingham QTVI course as residential weekends for training of Qualified Teachers of the Vision Impaired are ongoing. This is helpful at increasing awareness of the broad spectrum of the condition and the importance of appropriate support whilst in education for those affected by it.

• Colour Tent Therapy work is developing UK wide with an increasing number of Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired and Special

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Schools involved, promoting the use of colour tents and their positive impact.

• Increased reach to families of affected children demonstrated by steady increase in email communication, newsletter signup and social media engagement.

• Letters of support and reports have continued to be provided for families of affected children and adults who have had difficulties accessing support, be it educational, financial, or otherwise. The general lack of awareness of the condition means that still professionals have often not heard of it.

• Direct support and advice given to certain families who are having difficulty accessing educational support, alongside direct advocacy continues to play a major part of what we do.

• Levels of face to face via ‘zoom’ and telephone support to families and individuals have greatly increased.

• Continued development of links to leading medical professionals in the field, who also continue to refer families back to The CVI Society.

• Whilst the Charity is UK based, we also have contacts with interested individuals outside the UK, including people with the condition who have attended the convention on two occasions.

Financial Statement

• The CVI Society had an income of £7597 (£3350) in the year

• 2023/24 (2022/23), an increase of 127%.

• Expenditure for last year increased by 401% to £11111

(£2216).

• Overall, the CVI Society made a loss of £3514 (£1135) in

2023/24 (2022/23).

• The CVI Society Convention makes up the majority of the

Society’s income and expenditure. There was no convention

held in the 2022/2023 reporting period which explains the

large swing in year-on-year figures.

• The conference ran at a loss of £3211 with a cost of £ 10385

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and an income from fees of £ 4634 .

• Increased donations of £ 2111 prompted by support, training

and advice services and online cashback schemes

generating a further £850 offset a significant part of the

conference loss.

• The total cost of I.T. Services rose to £903.

• All charity activities are resourced on a voluntary basis.

• The CVI Society has no assets, funds in deficit or reserves

Appendix A shows the end of year summary statement of accounts.

CVI Societ - Year End Statement 2023- 2024 y

Budget Totals Actual Last Year	Budget Totals Actual Last Year	Budget Totals Actual Last Year	**Change **
Total Income This Year £7,597 £3,350			127%
Total Expenditure This Year £11,111 £2,216			401%
Nett Amount -£3,514 £1,135			-410%
Funds Balance From Last Year	£7,352
Available Funds £3,838 £6,217			-38%
Debtors/-Creditors	£0	£0

Calculated Bank Balance	£3,838
Actual Bank Balance	£3,838
Error	£0
Assets	£0

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Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of The Trustees of The CVI Society.

Janet Harwood Dawn Tennison

Chair of trustees

Secretary/Treasurer

16th December 2024 16[th] December 2024

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Appendix A

CVI Society - Year End Statement 2021 - 2022

Budget Totals Actual Last Year Change	Budget Totals Actual Last Year Change	Budget Totals Actual Last Year Change	Budget Totals Actual Last Year Change
Total Income This Year £2,062 £2,568 -20%
Total Expenditure This Year £2,022 £1,779 14%
Nett Amount £41 £891 -95%
Funds Balance From Last Year	£6,487
Available Funds £6,527 £5,698 15%
Debtors/-Creditors	£0	£0
Calculated Bank Balance	£6,527

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