2020-12-31-accounts - Staffordshire Sight Loss Association

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Staffordshire Sight Loss Association (Registered charity, number 1176919) Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020

Page	Contents
2 - 6	Trustees’ annual report
7	Independent examiner’s report
8	Receipts & Payments Account
9	Statement of Assets & Liabilities
10	Notes to the Accounts

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2020

Full name Staffordshire Sight Loss Association

Registered charity number 1176919

Principal address

1 Ketton Close Stoke-on-Trent ST6 6UE

Trustees

Andrea Scott (Chair) Linda Dunn (Treasurer) Sandra Barlow (Secretary) Ian Wiltshaw

Bankers

Natwest

Independent examiner

Daryl Denson ACMA VAST The Dudson Centre Hope Street Hanley Stoke on Trent ST1 5DD

Charity Objectives

For the public benefit to promote the relief of blind and partially sighted people, their friends, families and carers who primarily (but not exclusively) live in Staffordshire, including those who may not be registered as Blind/ Severely Sight Impaired or Partially Sighted/ Sight Impaired, by such means as the trustees think fit including:

Providing services, advice and information, social activities/opportunities and peer support;
Increasing public awareness of the needs of blind and partially sighted people

Governance and management

The Charity is governed by a Charitable Incorporated Organisation Constitution (Foundation Model), adopted on 31st January 2018.

The methods adopted for the recruitment and appointment of new trustees

The trustees of the charity must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees

Related Parties

Staffordshire Sight Loss operates independently and has no related party transactions.

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2020

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit

One to one advice, information and support around living independently with sight loss, including welfare rights, concessions, advice about equipment, support with forms, grant applications and housing issues.
Peer support groups with activities and speakers that range from informational speakers, group discussions and activities such as crafts, drumming and gentle exercise. In 2020 these were delivered as face-to-face groups up until March and then online groups thereafter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Weekly online yoga class and monthly online book club
Other groups and activities in partnership with other organisations including Sighted Guiding sessions in partnership with the Guide Dogs organisation.
Technology Support Service to support people to use technology for independence, including phones, tablets, computers and smart speakers.
Telephone peer support/ befriending service: a weekly or fortnightly call from someone with lived experience of sight loss
Awareness Event bringing together local and national organisations to demonstrate equipment and technology and to provide information and advice to members of the public. (postponed for 2020 due to COVID19)
Regular newsletter produced in a range of formats to maximise accessibility
Social media pages including a closed facebook group for information sharing and peer support and the delivery of Interactive Facebook live videos for sharing information, asking questions and engaging with others.
Accessible volunteer opportunities

Public Benefit

The trustees of the Charity are aware of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and have had regard to it in their administration of the Charity.

Achievements and Performance

At the start of the year, we were very pleased to be awarded a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund to deliver our two-year Independence and Wellbeing project. This funding has enabled us to expand our reach and our service offer as well as recruiting our first staff members; in March 2020 we hired a Service Manager and in May 2020, an Administration Assistant. It has also enabled us to hire and set up a fully accessible office space for staff and volunteers to work from on Albion Street in Hanley.

The project’s focus was to provide face-to-face services to support people with sight loss to increase their independence and confidence and to reduce feelings of isolation. The project involves Advice and information, Community drop-ins, Technology Support and Peer Support groups.

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2020

Achievements and Performance (continued)

We received our Funding in February and in March the country went into lockdown due to the COVID19 pandemic. It quickly became clear that we wouldn’t be able to follow our proposed activity plan, and we had to quickly reassess our delivery methods for the safety of our beneficiaries, volunteers and staff. We consulted with our community about the challenges that they were facing and the services that were needed at that time.

Our community told us that they still needed specialist advice and information around living independently with sight loss but that the pandemic had created additional challenges. Many people told us that they felt isolated, lonely or bored and that they were struggling to find ways to fill the time or to stay connected with others. People also told us that the pandemic had impacted their support networks, their emotional well-being and their confidence to go out independently.

In response to this feedback and with the support of the National Lottery we adapted our project and in 2020 we were able to deliver:

Weekly Facebook live videos where we would share useful information, and people could engage with each other or the video in real-time by asking questions or making comments that would be read out. We would give updates on what services were available from ourselves and other organisations so that people had the information they needed to make informed decisions about what would help them. We involved guest speakers from other organisations. Between 25th March 2020 and December 2020 we streamed 24 videos and there were over 10,500 views during that time.
Prior to Lockdown we were able to deliver 9 face to face social groups and from the beginning of April we started to provide weekly online social groups using the Zoom platform. We provided 38 Zoom social groups in 2020. Through our online and face-to-face groups we reached 38 people in 2020. The groups were mainly a place to chat and share information, experiences and tips but we also held quizzes and had guest speakers.
Following feedback from our service users about what they had been doing during lockdown, it was clear that a lot of people had been listening to audio books and through consultation with our beneficiaries, in May we set up a Zoom book club, in 2020 we held 8 book club meetings and we were lucky enough to be joined by the author of one of our chosen books, Dr Amit Patel.
Further feedback revealed that people were interested in engaging in some physical activity and mindfulness but had previously found it difficult to engage in such classes due to accessibility issues. We trialled some tai chi and yoga sessions and from the feedback received we began to deliver a weekly Zoom Yoga class in August. Attendees reported benefits such as feeling calm and relaxed, enjoyment from trying a new activity and sleeping better. We launched this service with funding from the Tackling Inequalities fund and have since developed it through our Independence and Wellbeing project.
Throughout the year we have provided specialist advice and support around living independently with sight loss. During the year we have been at various states of lockdown and we have had to be flexible and adapt the way that we have delivered the service as things have changed. For the safety of everyone we have provided support and advice over the phone unless this has not been possible for practical reasons and where absolutely necessary we have visited people, following all government guidelines and fully risk assessing on a case by case basis.
In May we set up a Telephone Peer support service in response to feedback from our service users. This involves a volunteer with lived experience providing a weekly or fortnightly phone call for peer support.
We kept in touch with our members through our quarterly newsletter that is available in a range of accessible formats.

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2020

Achievements and Performance (continued)

We developed our online presence further with the support of our volunteers. We launched our new website with the help of a bursary from VAST. We also grew our social media following by regularly posting on our Facebook and Twitter pages and we also launched an Instagram page.

Despite being unable to deliver our services and our Independence and Wellbeing Project as originally planned we are very pleased with what we have been able to achieve by adapting our delivery methods. Our services have achieved many positive outcomes for the local people that we have supported and we have received lots of very positive feedback from the community.

We could not have delivered these services without the immense support of our volunteers, funders, partners, and supporters.

Volunteers have played a huge part in all areas of the charity’s work in 2020 including supporting services (for example, hosting online social groups and providing telephone peer support calls), attending Steering Group meetings, helping with social media and fundraising.

We would also like to thank our partners who have shared useful information with us to help us to develop our organisation, as well as helping us to spread the word about the services that we offer. This year we have developed existing relationships and forged new ones. Our partners include the Eye Clinic Liaison Officers at the Royal Stoke Hospital, the local Sensory Teams at Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire County Council, local Social Prescribers, The Macular Society, East Cheshire Eye Society, Disability Solutions, the RNIB, Guide Dogs, Blind Veterans, and our local Talking Newspapers. Many of our partners have also attended our social groups and spoken on our Facebook live videos.

Financial Review

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association had an income of £95,265 in the financial year 2020. The majority of this funding (£85,522) came from the National Lottery Community Fund. The grant was provided to deliver a 2 year Independence and Wellbeing Project and this has made up the majority of our service delivery for 2020. The total grant is for £140,477, the remainder is to be paid in 2021.

We also received grants from Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Financial Support Programme and the Staffordshire Community Foundation. This funding was provided as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. The total amount awarded was £2279 from Stoke on Trent City Council and £1,460 from the Staffordshire Community Foundation with a further £819 to be paid in 2021.

We received a further £571.95 from the Tackling Inequalities Fund to pilot a series of accessible online Yoga sessions which we have then been able to continue and develop through our Independence and Wellbeing Project.

The remainder of our income has come from an unrestricted grant from the Edgar Lawley Foundation (£1,500) and a £2,000 donation from the Severn Trent Community Fund as well as voluntary donations, fundraising activities (including a Poetry evening), sale of second hand donated goods, and the Potto Lotto.

We rent an office space on Albion Street in Hanley and our assets consist of our office furniture and equipment (for example our printer, laptops, phones etc.) and some equipment that we use for demonstration purposes, for example lighting and kitchen equipment.

At year end the charity has a balance of £52,595. £3,575 of this is unrestricted funds and the remaining £50,020 is restricted.

Our expenditure for the year has been £47,020.

We are very grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for their support this year and to all of our other funders and supporters.

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association for the year ended 31 December 2020

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the period ended 31 March 2020 which are set out on pages 7 to 9.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

As the charity’s trustees of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act).

I report in respect of my examination of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

Accounting records were not kept in respect of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts to not comply with the accounting requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

28/10/2021 Signed ____ Date _______ Daryl Denson ACMA VAST

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Receipts & Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2020

Receipts Social Groups Grants Donation Events Sales Miscellaneous income Total receipts Payments Equipment Service Manager Administrator Social Groups Volunteer Expenses Rent and Storage Office Set Up Database Staff Training Miscellaneous expenditure Yoga Fundraising Accountancy Phone and Internet Stationary and Postage Insurance Professional Services Event Costs Marketing Total payments Net receipts/(payments) Cash funds at start of this period Transfers between funds Cash funds at end of this period	Unrestricted Funds £ 43 3,500 546 402 238 704 5,433 - 18 - 98 296 413 - - - 704 - 344 95 - - - 240 - - 2,208 3,225 350 - 3,575	Restricted Funds £ - 89,833 - - - - 89,833 3,086 19,776 6,534 327 197 5,834 3,007 1,900 369 - 308 - - 551 708 469 425 - 1,322 44,813 45,020 5,000 - 50,020	Total 2020 £ 43 93,333 546 402 238 704 95,266 3,086 19,794 6,534 425 493 6,247 3,007 1,900 369 704 308 344 95 551 708 469 665 - 1,322 47,021 48,245 5,350 - 53,595	Total 2019 £ 245 7,715 599 941 105 -
				9,605
				4,743 - - 410 752 51 - 1,043 - - - - 45 217 232 418 142 1,302 354
				9,709
				(104) 5,454 -
				5,350

at 31De	cember202A
		2420	2019
Cash assets BankCurrentAccount	,	53,595 53,595 g.	5,359_ 5,350 E,
	--
Liabilitesdue
AccountancyFees		570	otr
		570	95

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020

1. Receipts & payments accounts

Receipts and payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement of cash into and out of the charity during the financial year. In this context “cash” includes cash equivalents, for example, bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay for debts as they become due. For the purposes of understanding a statement of assets and liabilities at the year-end has been included.

2. Trustees’ remuneration

Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this year.

3. Funds

Restricted funds National Lottery Community Foundation of Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent City Council Tackling Inequalities Fund One Family Foundation Unrestricted funds General funds Total	Opening balance £ - - - - 5,000 5,000 350 350 5,350	Receipts £ 85,522 1,460 2,279 572 - 89,833 5,433 5,433 95,266	(Payments) £ (41,619) (1,457) (1,429) (308) - (44,813) (2,208) (2,208) (47,021)	Closing balance £ 43,903 3 850 264 5,000
				50,020
				3,575
				3,575

				53,595