Staffordshire Sight Loss Association (Registered charity, number 1176919) Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021 Page Contents Trustees, annual report Independent examiner's report Receipt5 & Payments Account Statement of Asseis & Liabililies Notes io the Accounts io
staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees, Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 Full name Slaffordshire Sight Loss Association Registered charity number 1176919 Principal address l Ketton Close stoke-on-Trent ST6 6UE Trustees Andrea Scott (Chairl Linda Dunn {Treasurerl Sandra 8arlow (Secretary) lan Wilishaw Bankers Naest Independent examiner Daryl Denson ACMA VAST The Dudson Cenire Hope Street Hanley stoke on Trent STI 5DD Charlty Objectives For the public benefit to promote the relief of blind and partially sighted people, their friends, families and carers who primarsly (but not exclusively) live in Staffordshire, including Ihose who may not be registered as Blindl Severely Sight Impaired or Partially Sightedl Sight Impaired, by such means as the trustees think tit including.. Providing services, advice and information, social activitieslopportunities and peer support,. Increasing public awareness of the needs of blind and partially sighted people Governance and rnanagement The Charity is governed by a Charitable Incorporated Organisation Constitution (Foundation Model). adopted on 31si January 2018. The methods adopted for the recrultment and appointment of new trustees The Iruslees ol the charity fflust 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 paty transactions.
Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees. Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2021 Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit Advice, infoTmation, and support around living independently with sight loss, including welfare rights, concessions, advice about equipment. support with forms. grant applications and housing issues. Community Hubs which include a pop-up Resource Centre thai provides opportunities for member5 of the commuT)ity to come and try a wide range of daily living equipment. Beneficiaries can also attend our Community Hubs for advice and information, support wilh forms and a coffee and chal. This geNice became available as a weekly seNice in Hanley from June 2021 and a monthly service in Biddulph from Auoust 2021 with plans 10 expand lo other areas in 2022. Peer supportl social groups, for the first part of 2021 these were delivered as online groups with in-person groups being reintroduced from August in Hanley, Leek and Newcastle. At the end of the year, we offer a blend of online and in-person social groups with plans to expand our in-per50n groups to other lo¢aiions in 2022. Weekly Hanley braille class which began in Augvst 2021. Weekly online yoga class and monthly online book club Group excursions.. In October we arranged a group visit to the British Ceramics Biennial Festival for plate making and ceramics handling. In December we arranged a group visit lo a local Art event presented by local Arts organisation Appetite. held at Staffordshire University called 'Lookoul'. Vve plan to organise further outings in 2022. Technology Support Service to support people lo use technology fDr independence, including phones, lableis, computers and smart speakers. Telephone peer supportl befrienijing service.. a weekly or fortnightly call from someone with lived experience of sight loss Regular newsletter produced in a range of formats lo maximise accessibility Social media pages including a closed Facebook group for information sharing and peer support and the delivery of Inieractive Facebook1ive videos for sharing informaiion, asking questions and engaging with others. Accessible volunteer opportunities Public Beneflt 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 StatFordshire Sight L05s Association was set up in 2018 10 provide in-person support services for blin¢J and partially sighied people living in North Slaffordshire, In 2020 like many other charrties. we had lo adapi ihe way ihai we were delivering setvices due to the COVID19 pandemic. Face to face services were not possible and we adapted by providing a variety of online and telephone-based services. On the 41h January 2021 the country's third national lockdown began and in February 2021 the Prime Minister announced the Govemmenl's planned 'Roadmap out of lockdown,, a 4-step approach involving the gradual easing ol restrictions with the hope that all legal limits on social contact would be removed by the end of June 2021. From January until June we continued to provide online and telephone-based services including advice and information, support with welfare rights issues, online groups and telephone peer support. Staff and volunteers worked from home and trustee meetings were conducied online.
Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees, Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2021 Achievements and Performance (¢ontinued) In April 2021 non-essential shops reopened as well a5 hospitality venues. After careful consideration, a thorough risk assessment, consultation with our community and taking into account government guidance we decided lo open our Hanley Community Hub in a restricted formal on the Isi June 2021. This would include a Resource Centre and would be a place where the community could Come lo find out about and try a wide range of equipment that can help with living independently. They could a150 gei specialist advice and information, find out about seNices, get help with forms and claims. We held a small opening event thal was attended by the Lord Mayor ol Sloke-on-Trenl, Dr Chandra Kanneganti, local MP Jo Gideon and staff and volunteers. We initially delivered this service weekly on an appoiniment onty basis but later in the year we were able to deliver this as a drop-in. In June we also began lo offer advice and support through home visits which made this service more accessible and practical for many people. On the 19lh July all restrictions on social contact were lifted by the Government. By this point volunteers were able lo work from the office, helping with aLlministration tasks. Many people in our community told us that they wanted in-person social groups to become available while others undersiandably did not feel ready at that point. Community venues were also reopening which would allow us to launch community-based social groups and Community Hub drop-ins. We continued to provide our online group5 and in August we launched in-person social groups in Hanley, Leek and Newcaslle. a monthly Community-Hub drop-in at Biddulph Town Hall and a weekly braille class in Hanley. In the Autumn we a150 planned some group outings including a trip to the British Ceramics Biennial Feslival. Al the end of the year, we continue to deliver a blend of in-person and remote services. Feedback shows us thai this is meeTrng current needs. Despite the lifting of restrictions not everyone is ready to mix publicly. the pandemic and stayinu al home for long periods has affected people's confidence to go out and many people fear the risk oftransmission while using public tran5POrt. We are proud that we have been able to adapt quickly to the needs of our eommunity over whal has been a very challenging lime for all charities. We know that in-person setvices are valued by our beneficiaries as il 15 very difficult to know if a piece of daily living equipment will help without trying it out in person or to learn how to use a smartphone without someone physically being there 10 Show you. We feel that we have been able to re-introduce face to face services in a safe way at ihe right pace for our community. We have launched services that are new for our charity this year including our Resource Centre, Community Hubs. and braille class. Our remote and in-person services have achieved many positive outcomes tor the local people that we have supported. and we have received lots ot very positive feedback trom the community. We could not have delivered these services without the support of our volunteers. lunders, partners, and supporters. Volunteers have played a huge part in all areas oflhe charity's work in 2021 includirlg supporting services (for example with administration tasks, technology support, telephone peer suppori and hosting online social groups). attending Steering Group meetings, helping wrth SOCI media and fundraising. We wouSd also like to thank our panners who have helped 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 ihe Eye Clinic LisOn Officers al the Royal Stoke Hospital, the Socal Sensory Teams at Stoke-on-Trent and siaffordshire County Council, local Social Prescribers. The Macular Society, East Cheshire Eye Society, Disability Solutions. the RNIB, Guide Dogs, Blind Veterans, Appetite and our local Talking Newspapers. This year we have also welcomed a new Independent Living Coordinator to our team who is supporting our social groups, drop-ins, and advice service. Al the end of the year our team is made up of 4 trustees, 3 staff members and 16 volunteers.
Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees, Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2021 Flnancial Review Staffordshire Sight Loss Association had an income of £83,702.93 in the tinancial year 2021. Most of this funding (£54,956) came from a 2-year Naiional Lottery Communrty Fund grani. The grant was provided lo deliver our Independence and Wellbeing Project. and this has made up much ol our service delivery for 2021. The iolal grant is for £140,477.08, and it5 aim was lo re- introduce face to face services for blind and partially sighted people who live in North Staffordshire. The project began in February 2020 shortly before the first national lockdown which started in March 2020 and as a result. we could not deliver this project in the way that we originally intended. The Nationa1 Lollery has been very supportive in allowing us to adapt our project through this challenging time lo Tneei the immediate needs of our communty and it has supported a range ol online and telephone-based services, We are approaching the end of our Independence and Wellbeinll Proje¢l, and we feel ihal we have taken big steps 10 move the project back towards ils intended activities as reslriclions have eased over the last 6 months. This has not however left us lime to fully execute all of our plans which included community.based services across North St&ffordshlre. We are however pleased that al the end of 2021 we are ai the final applicaiion stage lor a new 3-year grant from the National Lottery Community Fund which if successful will allow us lo continue and develop the work ol our current projeci. During 2021 we have also received a final payment of £819 from the Staffordshire Community Foundation.. this payment was part ol a COVID support grant lotalling £2279. We received a grant from the National Lottery's Awards for All funding stream to support us 10 meet an increased demand for our Independent Living Service. We also received a grant for £5837 from the Bishop Stamer Fund throuoh the Staffordshire Foundation, this oranl has enabled us to furnish our Community Room. The remainder of our income has come from an unfeslricied grani from the Edgar Lawley Foundation1£1500}. a £2500 donation from the Etruscan Lodge, a grant 10 enable us lo take part in VAST'S Community Health Champion Project1£2250 with a Tèmaining £750 to be paid ai the end ol ihe proje¢t) as well as voluntary donations, fundraising aciivities, and sale ol daily living equipment. We rent an office space on Albion Street in Hanley and our assets con51st of our oftice ftjrnilure and equipmeni (for example our printer, laptops, phones elc,). daily living equipmeni and technology purchased lor demonstration purposes at our Community Hubs and stock for our resource centre. At year end the charity has a balance of £25,773. £6,203 01 this is unrestricted funds and the remaining £19.569 is restricted. Our expenditure for the year has been £111,525. Our expenditure 15 more than our income for the year and this is largely due lo restricted grants received in 2020 for capital items {e.g.. equipment for demonstration and furniture) that were purchased in 2021. We were unable to Use this grant money in Ihe previous year due io lockdowns, working from home and reslriclions on seNices. We are very grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund lor their support this year and lo all our other funders and supporters.
Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees, Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2021 Reserves Policy The charity has a reserves policy, As a relatively new charity that has been operaiing for just under 4 years, we have been gradually building our reserves during that lime and reserves have increased year on year, Unreslricled resetves are currently £6.203 which equates 10 just over I month's running costs for current activity levels. Building up reserves has been challenging over the last 18 months as fundraising aciivities have been impacted by the pandemic. Our Reserves policy identities that we need 10 increase our reserves lo a level that will cover continuity, restructuring 10 cover essential aciivilies where necessary lo source further income and a Dis501ution Fund lo provide lor dissolution should the charity be unable to continue. Al this point we aim to increase our Reserves to £20.000 and we have developed a Sustainability Plan that will help us 10 achieve this goal over the next 3 years. Due to the nature of the organisation and the regular review ol the budget our Reserves Poli¢y will be reviewed on an annual basis lo ensure that il reffects what is needed for continuity, that the reslrucluring element matches the requirements of our aclivitles, and that the dissolution element matches the requirements ot staffing levels. Signed on behalf of the charity's Iruslees.. Signed Andrea Scott Chair Date Signed Linda Dunn Treasurer Date
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association for the year ended 31 December 2021 I report to ihe charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the period ended 31 March 2021 which are set out on pages 7 to 9. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner As the charity's trustees of Staffordshire Sighi Loss Association, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with requirements of the Charities Act 20111'the Act). I report in respeci of my examination of Slaffordshire Sight Loss Asso¢iaiion 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 Charrty 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.. l. Accounting records were not kept in respect of Slaffordshire Sight Loss Association as required by section 130 of ihe Act.. or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records., or 3. the accounts to not comply wtth the accounting requirements concerning the form and content of aceounts sei 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 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 ol the accounis to be reached. Signed Daryl Denson AC VAST Dale 2511012022
Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Receipts & Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2021 Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Total 2021 Total 2020 Receipts Social Groups Grants Donation Events Sales Fundraising Miscellaneous income Total receipts 78 6,250 210 217 2.797 650 2,769 12,971 78 76.981 210 217 2,797 650 2,769 83,702 70.731 93,333 546 402 238 704 95.266 70.731 Payments Equipment Other Purchases Salaries plus expenses Adfflinistrator Social Groups Volunteer Expenses Rent and Storage Room Hire ottice Set Up Daiabase Staff Training Miscellaneous expenditure Yoga Fundraising Accountsncy Phone and Inlernel Stationary and Poslage Insurance Professional Services Rates Subscriptions & Memberships Monitoring & Evaluation Project Managemeni Support Transcripts Repairs & Decoraiions Marketing Total payments 4,946 2,349 23,542 28,488 2.349 33,031 12,427 1.819 875 13,242 714 3,086 33,031 12.427 1,776 787 12.355 714 19,794 6,534 425 493 6,247 43 88 887 3,007 1,900 369 704 308 344 95 551 708 469 665 816 449 816 462 264 522 13 264 522 34 210 50 1.311 737 724 1,345 947 774 160 162 6,000 5,100 244 311 535 101,181 160 295 6.000 5,100 433 552 909 111,524 133 189 241 374 10,343 1,322 47,021 Net receiptsl{payments) Cash funds at siart of ihis period Transfers between funds Cash lunds at end of this period 2.628 3,575 (30,450) 50,020 (27.822) 53,595 48,245 5,350 6.203 19,570 25,773 53,595
staffordshire Sight Loss Association Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31 December 2021 20 2020 Cash assets Bank Current Accouni 25,773 25,773 53,595 53,595 Liabilites due Accountancy Fees 600 600 570 570 These financial statements re accepted on behalf of the charity by.. Dated I Signed Andrea Scott Chair KO Signed Linda Dunn Treasurer Dated 24LL2L
Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 l. Receipts & payments accounts Receipts and payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement ol eash into and out of the charity during the financial year. In this context'cash. includes cash equiv8lents. for example, bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay lor debts as they become due. For the purposes of understanding a statement ol assels and liabilities at the year-end has been included. 2. Trustees, remuneration Trustees received no expenses. remuneration or benefits in this year. 3. Funds Opening balance Receipts Payments Closing balante Restricted Funds National Lottery- CF National Lottery - Awards for All Community Foundation Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent City Council Tackling Inequalities Fund One Family Foundaiion 43,903 54,956 9,119 6,656 (82,0781 19,1191 14,1341 {850} 16,781 2,525 850 264 5,000 50,020 264 5,000 101,181 70,731 19,570 Unrestrlcted Funds General Funds 3,575 3,575 12,971 12.971 10.343 10,343 6,203 6.203 Total 53,595 83,702 {111,524 25,773 io