REGISTERED CHARTfY NUMBER 1175066 SANDWELL VISUALLY IAIRED CHARrrABLE INCORPORATED ORGAMSATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENrs FOR THE YEAR ENDKD 31 MARCH 2022
SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 CONTENTS PAGE Trustee5 and professtonal advisers Trustees Annual Report Independent ¢xamin¢r's report to the trustees Statement of financial activities (incorporating the income and expenditure Count} Balance sheet io Notes to the financial stat¢m¢nts li
Pe1 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO TRUSTEES AND PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS Regis¢ered eharity name Sandwell Visually Impaired CIO Cbarity number 1175066 Prlncipal addr488 SVI Office West Bromwich Town Hall Lodge Road West Bromwich B70 8DY Tru$te A D Averis K Av¢ris P Bhachu T Burling R Flatley R Gorn]ley T Gracesmith G Orl¢bar K Patel H Rourk¢ Indepelldelll exAmiller J S Pye FCCA 23 Carline Crescent Shrewsbury Shropshir¢ SY3 7EU
P¥ge 2 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT YEAR EIWED 31 MARCH 2022 The Trustees pr¢s¢nt the&r report and the unaudited financial staÉ¢m¢nts ofthe charity for the y¢ar ¢nded 31 March 2022. REFERENCE AND ADMtNISTRATIVE DETAIiS Reference and administrative detsils are shown in the schedule of members of the board and professional advisers on page l of the financial statetnents. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENr (a) Gov¢ming document Th¢ charity is wntrolled by its constitiOn dated 10 October 2017 and is a Charitable In¢orporat¢d Organisation (b) Organis&tion81 structure The charity has & management ¢ommitte¢ of up to 15 m¢mb¢rs who meet regularly and responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. (c) Appointment of trustse5 Under the requirements of the constitution trustees are ¢l¢¢t¢d to the management committee to serve for a period of up to thre¢ years aft¢r which tnjstees must be re-elected at the next annual general meeting. (d) Risk mallagement The trusiees have examined the major strategic, business and operational issues which the organisation fa¢es. They confirni that systems are in place to eoable regular reports to b¢ produced $0 that neeessary steps can bc taken to redu¢e risks.
Page 3 SANJ DWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT le¥¢d} YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 ORIECTIVES AND AcfIviTIES The objects and princtple activities of the charity are to relieve the needs of blind and visually impaired people living or working of the Borough of Sandwell in th¢ West Midlands, their families omd carers in particular, but not exclusively* by assistance in the provision of advice, educatio itrforniation and support to enable in¢reased independence and life opportunities. This Financial Year has seen a steady return to 'norniality'. With the continued relaxation of Covid rnl¢s and guidance being ¢ased over subsequent months. As the year progressed, we continued to review OUT Covid-19 strategies and work on our recovery plan to get out of the pandemic restricttons safely and in a timely manner. We made careful and well-considered plans to commence outdoor. fa¢e to face ctivities, gradually increasing our provision to include limited indoor sessions tn lin¢ with Covid safe procedur¢s. Our standard services ¢ontinu¢ to be offered and a availabl¢ to our m¢mb¢rthip of 353 members, carers and associates who have 8n int¢r¢st in sight loss issues. W¢ hav¢ responded to 1034 sight loss enquires via telephone support and doorstep visits. Sandwell has 1.115 people registered as sight impaired with the tDcal Authority as of 02.09.21. According to RNIB (Royal National Instite of the Blind) statistics, Sandwell would be expected to have an estimated 9,130 adult residents with some level of sight loss. Many of these people are not receiving a regulor support servi¢¢ via statytory provision. SVI'S work is based on true user participation and CO¥pr(NJuction. Our aim is to: reduce the isolation, disempowern]ent and loss of confidence experienced by many visually impaired p¢ople' provide a safe 5UPPOrting approach to keeping active and healthier for longer; offer pra¢ti¢al support to ¢nable visually impaired people and their families to access support as and when they need it. encourage blind and visually impaired people to play an active role In the ¢ommunity' support families. friends and associates of people living with sight loss- work with s¢tvic¢ providers to inforn) ond educate. All our activities and campaigns are organised and led by visually impaired people with the &ssistance of our committed staff and volunteers. We take a holistic approach, looking at all elements of the mental, physical and emotional wellb¢ing of the people who use our services. SVI seeks to help remove th¢ fears associat¢d with sight loss and encourages people to explor¢ other ways of doing things which they might think is no longer possible. W¢ provide support in a range of areas. all of which are interlinked. Supporting independenee A diagnosts of sight loss Can be extremely traumatic. Even those who have been visually impaired but whose sIt is changing can become very anxious and fearful. With an estimated 45.20/0 of blind and visually impaired people experiencing depression, Svt has taken step5 to ty to remove some ofthe fears around sight lo&s and help people to explore a rAnge of coping strategies. This became
P4ge 4 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cowl•Med) YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 particularly important at a time wh¢n many support services had StOpd due to the pandemic and people felt even more isolated and alon¢. Our daisy chatn telephon¢ b¢friending Scheme offered a weekly welfare ¢a]I to isolated and vulnernble people. Our Mind Body Moving Forward programme helped blind and visually iTt]paired people to develop internal mechanisms and emotional support strategies to help them CO through difficulttimes. Particularly supporting people to reconnect with others post Covid. Social support MeetiEkg others and getting out and about is extremely important to people. Our 'Park Walks Programme,, wa5 our first step to r¢storing SVX group activities. A weekly group of blind and visually irnpaired walkers assistcd by a tcam of sighted guid¢ volunteers. provided valuable practical and emotional support to enable people to return to a 'nornial' way of life. Our one-to-one and group volunteers, have supported people to do the things that sighted people tske for granted, something that was extremely imwrt8nt as we moved out of Covid restrictions. We introduced virtual activities in 2020, supporting people to meet in virtual groups to help them to keep in touch. These online and virtual activities continue to be popular and our weekly virttial Coffee and Conversation, support group extends a hand of friendship to those who still don't feel able to venture out of their homes. Health and wellbeillg SVI has developed proactive partnerships with Sandwell Leisure Trust, the Portway Lifestyle Centre and Places for People, taking positive steps towards addressing barrÈers visually impaired people face in accessing fitness facilities. We recruit and train volunteer buddies to enable visually iEE]paired people to tske part in a range of activities on an equal basis. As this year has progressed and with the help of an Active Black County and Sw)rts England Tackling Inequality Fund Grant we have wlually introduced gym sessions, swimming, Aquafit and line dancing to our healthy living off¢r. As confidence builds, we will ¢xt¢nd these activities fillther. Arts Project The arts have often been seen as something that blind and visually impaired people GnOt take part in. SVI seek to break down these beliefs and encourage 0pt with sight loss to ¢njoy arts and culture in differertt way. Working in partn¢rghip with Multistory and visually impaired photobwapher Karr¢n Visser. we have been working on an exciting project that reflects the lived experiences, hopes and fea of blind 8nd visually iEnpaired people Sandwell. The digital stories of some of our SVI members wer¢ launched this year. These were audio descrikd by the members themselves. They highlight the skills demonstrated by visually impaired people during lockdown who produced amazing digital stories. They give a fascinating insight into th¢ir varied lives through th¢ videos. Two furth¢r internatiOEkal virtual events have also taken place. This year SVI also worked in partnership with Black County Touring on 'A Word in your Ear,. a virtual poety project with poet Adrian Earl, who created a new poem 'Congregation' which was stimulated by his experience of meeting blind and visually impaired p¢ople over th¢ phon¢ during lockdown.
Page 5 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT Ico•tswed) YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Acees5 to ttew Technology The ability to use new t¢¢hnology has become almost essential for everyday life. In this fa5t-Enoving are blind and visually impaired peopl¢ are increasingly likely to be left behind. s helped some of ourvisually iEThpaired members to d¢velop the confidence and skills to us¢ new technology such as Zoom and Teams during their prolonged stay it home. With many of our members betng older people. most have lost their sight in later life. The skills base or even willingnesslconfidence to even try out technology was often a batTi¢r. As part of our 5UPPOrt to members, we hold virtual 'Appy Hour, peer 5UPP)rt groups to h¢lp visually mpaired people to a¢cess mobile phones, smart devices and tablets. Illfornation and communication One of the largest barriers faced by people living with sight loss is accessing inforniation. SVI works with statutory alld commwjity oYg8nisations to hi8hlight the importance of accessible inforniation in all formats. We circulate safcguarding alerts. poli¢e notie¢s and n¢ighbourhood itiforniation via email and text message. We work in parthershÈp with Sandw¢ll Talking News to offer a postal and online weekly audio newspaper to blind and visually impaired peopl¢ throughout Sandwell. Fundraising and aivaTenes9 eveDts We have not yet re-established our usual programme of nd raising and promotional events. We have put our membership fund rntsing on hold until such a time we feel it is appropriate to resume th¢se activtties. FINANCIAL REVIEW ReseTh¢s Poli¢y The Statement of Finattcial Activities shows a gross income of £55.020 and expendity of £57.162. The reserves are primarily to cover the development and future running ¢xp¢nses of all &spects of the organisation. PLs FOR FtrruRE PERIODS Our Trustees, overall aim is to ¢stsblish SVI as a sustAinable. us¢r-led organisation with a reputation for delivering quality services. The njajority of our Trustees are visually impaired themselves and experts by experience. They are passionate about providing a service that fully meets the needs of th¢ir peers in Sandwell. We have two part-time staff se¢onded from the Coun¢il. We benefit from a central office location within the Borough at a peppercorn rent thanks to the Council's commitment to our service. This year we have also dillY employed two P8rt-time staff on short-t¢nn. grant-fvnd¢d programmes. Trustees and staff recognise the need for longer tenn funding to enable us to grow and develop. To this ¢n(L our plans for the n¢xt year include the following aims and objectives:
Pgge 6 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (C YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Volunteering and befrieDding scheme. To continue and develop our befriending phone support to our lonelier, Isolat and vuln¢rable members. We want to ¢xtend this provision to include face-t face befriending $llprt. Gain funding to ¢mploy a Volunteers CoordinatOF in order to expand our volunt¢¢r base, providing opportunities for both Vl and sighted volunteers. This will enable us to fornialise our voItTnte¢r s¢rvi¢¢. off¢r knining and support and improve the service that w¢ offer to our membets. With our adaptive tsclmology and VI knowledge. we ar¢ in a position to offer unique volunteering opportunities for visually tmpaired people who might otherwise be ex¢lud¢d from the labour market. We further aim to offer work experience placements which will draw in further skills and rnis¢ awareness of bltnd visually impaired people's ability to operate in the workpla¢¢. Expand our digital offer by worktng in partnership with local training providers and specialist servi¢es to increase the skills, base of blind and visually impaired people. To commission low vision technical expertise in order to ensur¢ that people not only get the equipment they need but get the necessary and eSsetiti training to use it efficiently. Increase our orteAtO-one inforniation and guidance support aud trial thrther counselling 8nd listill8 support pro8rammes. A diagnosis of si8ht loss can be extremety traumatic. Even those who have been visually impaired but whose sight is cE]aTtging can become very anxious and fearful. An estimated 440/0 of blind and visually impaired people ¢xperien¢¢ dresSion. In the past, the local Council had a designated sIt loss counsellor, however this service was ¢ut. A trial of our own ounselling seryice showed that there was still a need for this provi5ton. We are seeking funding. Dev¢lop a¢tiviti¢s r¢cruit an Activities Coordinator. Pre Covid Our activities had been very popular and well-attended with high retention rates. We want to restore this and further develop our social support programmes throu the employment of an Activities Coordinator to take over running current activities and develop n¢w ones. Organising events and trips out is time-consuming for our existing staff and preclud¢s other developmerRtal activities. Again, we are seeking fiinding. More enablement support. Enablement and buddy support is fundamental to the WO we do. No matter how confident and able a Vl person is. the are times wh¢n sighted support 15 eS5¢ntial. Th¢ enablinglbuddy model is very effective and empoweriRg* making Tnainstream activitie5 more appealing and accessible to people living with sight loss. We are seeking funding to maintain this aspect of our work and to develop our enablement service fiher.
Page 7 SAYJ DWELL VISUALLY IMPAlllED CIO TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (1{e0) YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Th¢ stght loss journey is long and the s¢ns¢ of bereavement is a natural process that ne¢ds help and support to overcome, our er support mod¢l off¢rs people a powerful example of what can be achieved following sight loss. INDEPENDEiYf EXAtINER J S Pye FCCA has been re-appointed as independent examiner for the eTrsuing year. Principal addre55: Signed by order of the Tnjstees SVI OlCe West Bromwich Town Hall Lodge Road West Bmmwich B70 8DY A D Averis 17 (ktob¢r 2022
Page 8 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE MEMBEKS OF SAM)WELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 I rewrt on the accounts of the Gharity for the year ended 31 Mah 2022 which are set out on pages 9 to 15. RESPECTIVE RESPONStBtLrrIES OF TRUSTEES AND EXAMINER The trust¢¢s atr responsible for the preparation of the aollnts in accordance with the requirem¢nts of th¢ Charities Act 201 E {'the Act,). I report tn ttspect of my examination of the Trust's acwunts carried out under se¢tion 145 of th¢ A¢t and in carrying out my examination I have followed the applicable Dircctions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. INDEPENDENf EXAMINER'S STATEMENr I have completed my examination and l Confinn that no material matter has come to my attention in Co[eCtIon with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect= accounting records were not k¢pt in a¢¢ordanc¢ with sectton 130 of the Act; or the accounts do not accord with those records; or the accounts do not comply with th¢ &¢counting r¢quir¢ments of the Char&ties (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 oth¢r than any requirement that th¢ accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I confirni that there are no other matters to which your attention should b¢ drawn in ord¢r to enable a proper underslandin8 of the accounts to be reached. J S Pye FCCA Independent examiner 23 Carline Cr¢sc¢nt Shrewsbury ShTopshir¢ SY3 7EU 17 October 2022
Pgge 9 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING THE ItYCOME AIYD EXPENDITURE ACCOUIYT) YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Unrestricted funds Restricted fullds Total funds 2022 Total funds 2021 Note INCOMING RESOURCES Incoming resources from genernting funds.. Investment income Incoming resources from charitable activities - grants receivable Other incoming resources 53534 580 53,534 1.485 65,835 295 905 TOTAL INCOMtNG RESOiJRCES 906 $4,114 55.020 65.835 Legs: RESOURCES EXPELYDED Charitable activities Governance costs (750) (56,412) {57.162) (54.544) TOTAL RESOURCES EENDED (750) (56,412) (57,162) (54.544) NET INCOMtNG I (otrrGOING) RESOURCES FOR THE YEAR 156 (2298) {2,142) 11,291 RECONCILIATION OF Totsl funds brought forward 23,868 26,043 49.911 38,620 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 24,024 23,745 47,769 49,911 The notes on pages 11 to 15 forni part of these finan¢i41 $lalements.
Page 10 SANDWELL VISUALLY IAIRED CIO BALANCE SHEET 31 MARCH 2022 2022 2021 Note FIXED ASSETS Tangible ass¢ts CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank and in hand 47,769 49.911 NET CiYIUiENT ASSETS 47,769 49,911 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENf LIABtLrrIES 47,769 49,911 NET ASSETS 47,769 49,911 Restricted incolne funds Unr¢stri¢t¢d inwm¢ funds 23.745 2£IP24 47,769 26.043 23.868 49.911 io TOTAL FUNDS These financial statements were approved by the members of th¢ committee and authoris¢d for issue on the 17 Octo]r 2022 are signed on their behalf by". A D Averis Trustee The Dotss on pages 11 to 15 forni part ofthese finan¢ial stat¢menl&
Page 11 SAI¥DWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR EIWED 31 MARCH 2022 STATUTORY INFORMATION Sandwell VisuaIly Impaired CIO is a Charitsble Incorporated Organis&tion registered in England. The charity's registered number, principal address and nature of operations can be found in the Rert of the Trustees. ACCOUNTING POUCIES Basis of aeeoullting The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP 'Accounting and Rew>rting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to chaTiti¢s preparing their aOUntS in accordance with FRS 102 {effcctive l January 2015). Financial Reporting Standard 102'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements hav¢ been prepared under the historical cost conventton. Cash flow statelnent The trnstees have taken advantage of the exemption in Finan¢ial R¢w>rtin8 Standard No 102 from including a cash flow statement in the financial stat¢m¢nts. Fund accounting General funds are unrestricted funds which ar¢ available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes. Designated fvnds Compris¢ of unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for p&rticular purposes. Restricted funds are funds which are to be used Én accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of rnising and administering such fund5 charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of ¢a¢h fund is s¢t out in th¢ notes to the financial statements. Incoming resourtes All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is ¢ntitl¢d to the incom¢ and the amount can b¢ quantified with reasonable accurdcy. Resources expended Resources expended are recognised in the period in which they are incurred. Resources expended include attributable VAT whi¢h cannot be r¢covered. Costs of generating funds comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income and the cost of trading for fundrdising purpos¢s.
P4ge 12 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENrs YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (ctr##N4ed) Charitable expenditure comprises those costs tncurred by the charity in the delivery of its a¢tivtti¢s and s¢rvices for its beneficiaries. li includes both costs that can be a]lo¢at¢d dir¢ctly to such activities and thos¢ costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. Governance costs includ¢ thos¢ wsts associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of th¢ charity and include ac¢ountancy fees and costs linked to the strategic manag¢m¢nt of th¢ Chlty. All costs are allocatsd between the experkditure categories of the stat¢m¢nt of finan¢ial activities on the basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly. others are apportioned on an appropriate basis. Fixed ets The charity ¢urrently holds no red assets. VESTMENf COmE Unrestrieted Total lldS Total funds funds 2022 2021 Interest receiv¢d INCOMING RESOURCES FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES- GRANrs RECEIVABLE Unrestri¢ted R¢8trieted Total funds Total funds funds fllnd$ 2022 2021 Sandw¢ll MBC staff funding Sandwell MBC Core funding Oth¢r grants Donations 31,567 6,41Hb 15J67 510 31567 6,4(N) 15,567 988 31,567 6,400 25,905 1.666 478 478 54044 54522 65,538 OTHER INCOMING RESOURCES Unrestricted Restricted Totsl funds funds funds 2022 Totsl funds 2021 Miscellaneous income 427 70 497 295
Page 13 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAIRED CIO NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIvfrIES BY FUND TYPE Unrestricted Restricted Total fllnds Total funds funds funds 2022 2021 Travel expenses Postage StatÉonery Transcription Personal Assistan¢¢ and Volunteers expenses Printing Ensurdllee Room Hire Website Equipment Marketing General expenses Services Rent Staff costs Seconded staff costs Movement bthveen funds 632 632 353 28 69 192 306 80 306 165 100 674 411 l(M) 674 411 400 540 1,038 540 1,038 540 1.403 163 39 104 5,023 4,667 10,717 26,900 5220 267 5,062 4,667 16,400 2691)0 26 1.531 4,667 18,435 26,900 5,683 (5220) 750 56,412 57,162 54.544 GOVERNANCE COSTS The charity h&s no governance costs as all trustees are volunteers and the fancial ststements are prepared by J S Pye FCCA pro bono. STAFF COSTS AND KMOLUMENTS Total staff costs were #s follows: 2022 2021 Wages and Salaries Social security Costs Other pension costs 16.400 18.435 16,400 18,435 Particllla of employees: The average number of employ¢es during the year. was as follow5.' 2022 2021 Administrative staff No employee rw¢iv¢d r¢mun¢ration of morr than £60.000 during th¢ y¢ar (2020 - Nil).
P8ge 14 SANDWELL VISUALLY IMPAtRED CIO NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 RESTRicfED INCOME FUNDS Movement Balance at Incoming Outgoing betiveen l Apr 2021 re8our¢¢8 resources funds Balance al 31 Mar 2022 SMBC Grant- se¢onded staff Transport fund Active at 60 Core fund Housing service group Tipton tree of lights F&mily support group Young person's fund Epic Grant Healthy Sandwell Women's group Healthy Sandwell Men's group Harry Payn¢ Tou¢hy Feely Arts project Wesleyan Foundation- Helping Hand SCVO Vision 2030 Heart of En8land- Doing Things DitTerently Fund Sandwell MBC Community Parlnor5hip Innovation SCVO Vision 2030 Va1¢ Support Community Grdnt Active Black County Tackling Inequalities Fund 31.567 3167 89 1.060 7.358 92 922 100 400 716 89 1,438 7,073 92 1,130 100 41M) 490 400 112 6,685 740 532 752 36 318 (318) 414 (414) 333 333 573 5,000 526 (2050) 1ffj24 3,778 2J33 (1,445) 4.890 3.674 1216 4.945 1.688 {324) 2.933 9.972 2,655 7J17 26,042 54,114 51,192 15220) 23,745
Page 15 SANDWELL VISUALLY IAIRED CIO NOTES TO THE FINAI44CIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 10. t)NRKSTRICTED INCOME FUNDS Movement Balance at lllcomiDg Outgoiug betwee l Apr 2021 resources rewur funds Balance at 31 Mg4r 2022 General funds Atal Forum Eye hefttth Promotion Visual Impairment Training Community Involvement Fund IT Tech Exit strategy Health and Wellbeing projects Funeral donations CENTRO Transcription fund Marketing Salary contingency fund Cassies three peak challeng¢ Men's group Demonstration Equipment Fund SocialEyes Fund Virtual Raffle Women's group 3,925 1,639 980 596 162 85 4J59 1554 980 950 11 1,050 500 740 3,200 500 740 3200 1,354 1,872 iJ54 1073 875 400 4,397 875 400 3,101 5,683 4J87 1.023 1.023 414 414 590 1.348 75 590 1,658 75 278 310 318 23.868 906 S,970 5220 24,024