2025-03-01-accounts

The Cerebral Visual Impairment Society

Charity No. 1155765

Trustees Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25

15[th] December 2025

For Period 2[nd] March 2024 – 1[st] March 2025

Charity Details

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

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

Trustees

Janet Harwood – Chair of Trustees

Charlotte Eldridge Baker

Suzanne Little

Alexa Rice

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 CVI and deliver training on the condition.

Main Achievements of the Year:

• We have no paid staff and minimal running costs however trustees continue actively looking at future ways of raising funds to allow us to provide extra services and grow. 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, basic administration costs and very occasional expenses incurred carrying out activities on behalf of the charity.

• There has been a change in trustees and we have appointed two new Young Ambassadors who have cerebral visual impairment to join our other two Young Ambassadors.

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

• Policies have been restructured and continue to be updated as appropriate.

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

• We had another successful convention in October 2024. This was again, well received by many families and people with the condition, alongside professionals. Keynote speakers were booked, one of whom, our Patron, Prof Dutton presented via video

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due to a prior commitment. Helen St Clair Tracy of CVI Scotland was our other keynote presenter alongside other professional speakers. We also had parents of children with the cerebral visual impairment and young adults living with the condition who addressed the audience. Over 135 delegates attended.

• We have continued to represent families of children and young people with CVI in Education Tribunal cases which 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 and support.

• We have also provided much more virtual training, some bespoke to individuals and some general training to organisations including other charities. We have carried out a series of whole day training sessions on CVI on behalf of The Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network, in Doncaster, Bristol and Falkirk.

• Our social media following continues to grow – our main Facebook page reach increases, providing general CVI information and links to posts on the website.

• Our closed Facebook forum continues to grow, we now have over 975 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 2.700 followers.

• In person attendance to deliver training on CVI and links with the University of Birmingham QTVI course at 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 continues being developed UK wide with an increasing number of Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired and Special 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

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accessing support, be it educational, financial, or otherwise. The general lack of awareness of the condition means that still many 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, eg Australia, Republic of Ireland, Holland, Germany, Holland and Brazil. We also have a person with the condition who has attended the convention on three occasions, and is now an ambassador for the Charity.

• Involvement in a European group set up with regards to support for children with CVI and looking at development of support strategies.

Financial Statement

• The CVI Society had an income of £10,350 (£7,597) in the year 2024/25 (2023/24), an increase of 36%.

• The major source of income for the charity is from the Annual Convention but this remained fairly static. The uplift in income was mainly due to an increase in donations and fees for consultancy and training.

• Expenditure for last year decreased by 8% to £10,225 (£11,111).

• Overall the CVI Society made a profit of £125 (£3,514) in 2024/25 (2023/24) effectively breaking even.

• The cost of running the CVI Society Convention remains the major expenditure for the charity.

• The conference ran at a loss of £3,439 (£3,211) with a cost of £9,132 (£8,278) and an income from fees of £5,693 (£5,066).

• An increase of donations to £3,881 (£1,749) covered the remaining costs of running the conference.

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• The total cost of I.T. Services dropped to £613 (£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.

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

CVI Societ - Year End Statement 2024- 2025 y

	Budget Totals	Actual	Last Year	**Change **
Total Income This Year £10.350 £7.597 36% Total Expenditure This Year £10.225 £11.111 -8% Nett Amount £125 -£3514 -96% ~~OS~~
	Funds Balance From Last Year	£3.838
	Available Funds	£3,963	£3838	3%
	Debtors/-Creditors	£0	£0

Calculated Bank Balance	£3,963
Actual Bank Balance	£3,963
Error	£0
Assets	£0

Declaration

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

Signed on behalf of The Trustees of The CVI Society.

oh ee

Janet Harwood

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Dawn Tennison
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Chair of trustees Secretary/Treasurer

15th December 2025 15[th] December 2025

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