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2023-12-31-accounts

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association (Registered charity, number 1176919) Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023

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

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

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:

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.

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Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2023

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit

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Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2023

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit (continued

Public Benefit

In planning our activities our trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. The trustees are committed to being a community-led charity that carries out continuous engagement with our beneficiaries in order to stay relevant to the needs of the community that we serve.

Achievements and Performance

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association was set up in 2018 to provide in-person support services for blind and partially sighted people living in North Staffordshire. Our consultation within the local community helped us to design a range of services that we were confident would make a positive difference to the lives of many and in the first 2 years we were gradually building and developing these services on a small scale as a group of volunteers.

In 2020 we were thrilled to be awarded a substantial 2-year grant from the National Lottery Community Fund which would enable us to develop and expand upon these services, hire our first staff members, and rent an office space. This success was quickly followed by the COVID19 pandemic and we, like other charities, navigated the challenges that this presented by adapting our services to meet the needs of our local community. In 2021 we began our transition back to in-person services and in 2022 we were thrilled to be awarded a further National Lottery Community Fund grant for our 3-year Independent and Connected Communities Project. This grant alongside support from our other funders enabled us to build upon our service offer further and by the end of 2022, we were delivering a range of in-person community-led services able to meet the varying needs of our community.

During 2023 we delivered:

We also delivered:

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Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2023

Achievements and Performance

When we combine attendance for the above activities with the number of people who have accessed our Independent Living Advice service and Technology Support Service, this year over 700 people have engaged with our services with many people engaging on multiple occasions.

In addition to this, approximately 580 people have engaged with our Awareness activities and events this year including approximately 350 people attending our Burslem Park event and approximately 200 attending our Christmas-themed event at the Floral Hall.

A big part of the work we do is to bring people together for peer support and many of our services aim to reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness. This year we have provided a range of groups, activities, and outings, all of which have been well attended. We have seen how valuable sharing experiences and information with peers can be for building confidence and increasing independence. Our activities have provided opportunities for attendees to have fun together, make memories, and in many instances build lasting friendships. In October we were thrilled to be awarded Know Your Neighbourhood funding through the Community Foundation for Staffordshire which will enable us to expand and develop our work around social inclusion. This funding has enabled us to hire a part-time Events and Activities Coordinator, by the end of 2023 she has delivered several activities and is planning an exciting programme of activities and outings for our beneficiaries in 2024. These will be delivered in addition to our existing groups.

This year we delivered our first-ever Community Awareness event, and we were extremely pleased with attendance and feedback from the event. We promoted the event with the help of local schools and businesses, through social media and banners at the park. We designed a free Scavenger hunt-style trail for families to follow around the park. We provided a map of the park with various points marked out, participants had to find each point on the map, and at each point they could learn something about sight loss. Once the trail was complete, they could return to our Welcome tent to collect a small prize. 102 people completed the trail.

We also provided simulation glasses for people to try on, these give an idea of how different eye conditions can affect people’s vision. We provided everyday activities for people to try whilst wearing the glasses as well as a variety of aids and equipment available for people with sight loss to help manage day-to-day tasks (e.g. magnifiers, talking scales, and labelling equipment). In addition to our awareness activities, we also offered a range of more traditional community fun day activities, for example, stalls, a bouncy castle, penalty shoot-out, face painter, and Disney Princess.

Throughout the year we have seen increased demand for our services as awareness of our organisation grows. We are very proud of what we have achieved this year, and feedback has shown that our services have led to many positive outcomes for our beneficiaries. Moving into 2024 we are looking forward to developing our services further using beneficiary and partner feedback to continue to improve in a community-led way.

Funding received during 2023 meant that we have been able to grow our team of staff and volunteers. In June we welcomed a part-time Volunteer Coordinator to our team and in October our new Events and Activities Coordinator joined the team. This means that we have been able to extend our reach as an organisation and provide support for more people. At the end of 2023 we have 7 staff members (2 full-time and 5 part-time)

Thank yous

We would like to thank all partner organisations that we have worked with and who have helped to promote our services this year. We would like to thank the staff at the Royal Stoke University Hospital Eye Clinic Helpdesk, our local Sensory Teams in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, local Social Prescribers, and Primary Care Network staff for their support in helping to promote our services and for inviting us to their community events. We would also like to thank the RNIB, The Macular Society, Update Talking Newspaper, Rainbow FM, Goalball UK, and Appetite.

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Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Trustees’ Annual Report (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2023

Thank yous (continued)

We would like to thank everyone who supported our Burslem Park Awareness Event including the Port Vale FC Foundation, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue, Beat the Cold, Endon Storm Troopers, local schools and nurseries including Jackfield Infant School and Moorpark Junior School, the North Staffs Pensioners Convention, Frontline Dance, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and all of our wonderful volunteers who came to help on the day.

Due to the success of this event we decided to deliver a further Christmas-themed event at the Floral Hall, and we would like to thank the staff at the Floral Hall as well as everyone who supported that event including Wrights Food Group, Wayne Walkers and Stafford Superbowl.

We would also like to thank the many organisations who supported our Information Day in October by exhibiting at the event and helping to promote the event. We would like to thank Staffordshire University and Newcastle Community Transport who provided a shuttle bus on the day.

We would like to thank our many funders and supporters including The National Lottery Community Fund, British Blind Sports, The Community Foundation for Staffordshire, VAST, The Edgar Lawley Foundation, and Former Mayor of Biddulph, Councillor Sylvia Rushton. We would like to thank our wonderful Potters ‘arf Marathon Relay team, Lauren Horler who bravely took on a 10.000 foot skydive for us, and the 23 people who walked for almost 15 miles across Stokeon-Trent in our September North Staffordshire Big Walk, in total a fabulous £7,399 was raised through sponsored events this year. Thank you also to everyone who has supported our other fundraising efforts across the year including businesses who have donated raffle prizes, members of the community who have bought raffle and tombola tickets and the many people who have supported us at community events such as Stoke-on-Trent Pride and Longton Pig Walk and Carnival.

Volunteers have played a huge part in all areas of the charity’s work in 2023 including supporting services (for example with administration tasks, technology support, and hosting social groups), attending Steering Group meetings, helping at events, assisting and guiding at outings, and helping with social media and fundraising. This year our charity has been supported by 48 volunteers who have donated an amazing 4324 hours of their time, and we cannot thank them enough for the difference that they have made for our community and our organisation.

Financial Review

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association had an income of £195,878 in the financial year 2023.

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.), daily living equipment and technology purchased for demonstration purposes at our Community Hubs, and stock for our resource centre.

At year end the charity has a funds of £63,568. £30,691 of this is unrestricted funds. Our expenditure for the year was £170,737.

Reserves Policy

The charity has a reserves policy. Staffordshire Sight Loss Association has been operating for just under 6 years, we have been gradually building our reserves during that time and reserves have increased year on year. Building our reserves was initially challenging because any money raised was needed for operational costs, our fundraising plans were later impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have a Sustainability Plan in place which is regularly reviewed and this year we have worked hard to diversify our income and try different fundraising approaches. We have also found over the last 12 months that as the reach of our services has grown, support for our charity has grown leading to an increase in individual donations from our beneficiaries for which we are extremely grateful.

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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association for the year ended 31 December 2023

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the period ended 31 March 2023 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:

  1. Accounting records were not kept in respect of Staffordshire Sight Loss Association as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. 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.

30/10/2024 Signed ____ Date _______ Daryl Denson ACMA VAST

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Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Receipts & Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2023

Receipts
Social Groups
Grants
Donation
Events
Sales
Fundraising
Miscellaneous income
Total receipts
Payments
Equipment
Other Purchases
Salaries plus expenses
Volunteer Expenses
Rent and Storage
Room Hire
Resource Centre Stock
Database
Staff Training
Miscellaneous expenditure
Fundraising
Accountancy
Phone and Internet
Stationary and Postage
Refreshments
Insurance
Activities and Events
Rates
Subscriptions & Memberships
Transcripts
Repairs & Decorations
Marketing
Total payments
Net receipts/(payments)
Cash funds at start of this period
Cash funds at end of this period		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
-
2,250
3,848
9,377
14,045
5,687
8,805
44,012
5,331
3,104
137
720
11,223
-
3,273
-
-
-
-
780
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
24,568
19,444
11,247
30,691
-
-
-		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
151,866
-
-
-
-
-
151,866
13,083
200
85,257
568
24,165
3,056
267
1,659
-
1,016
2,279
1,956
4,019
1,099
3,524
81
436
2,263
319
922
146,169
5,697
27,180
32,877
-
-		 Total
2023
£
-
154,116
3,848
9,377
14,045
5,687
8,805
195,878
18,414
3,304
85,394
1,288
24,165
3,056
267
1,659
-
3,273
1,016
2,279
1,956
4,799
1,099
3,524
81
436
2,263
319
922
170,737
25,141
38,427
63,568
11,223		 Total
2022
£
136
128,269
1,799
1,586
13,720
2,771
-
148,281
8,062
293
73,110
808
19,821
2,430
14,753
171
701
48
1,212
1,170
1,776
1,358
458
946
4,504
448
472
2,369
136
581
135,627
12,654
25,773
38,427

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Stafford•hlr• Slght Los• A••oclatlon Ststsment of Assets ¥nd Llabilltio• at 31 D•¢ern￿r 2023 20 63 38.427 U•bllltM *• 7. D•J ?oIAoK L 10

Staffordshire Sight Loss Association Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

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 - CF Project 2
National Lottery - Awards for All
Local Giving Fund - Yoga
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Long Term Condition Fund
RNBI Funding
Staffs Found KYN (Social)
KYN NLCF (Volunteering)
BBS
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds
General Funds
Total		 Opening
balance
£
24,250
218
275
1,882
1,050
(759)
-
-
-
1,300		 Receipts
£
99,950
-
-
-
-
20,000
7,584
21,985
2,348
7,811		 Payments
£
(104,581)
(218)
(275)
-
(1,050)
(22,339)
(3,741)
(13,081)
(1,606)
(8,126)		 Closing
balance
£
19,619
-
-
1,882
-
(3,098)
3,843
8,904
742
985
28,216 159,678 (155,017) 32,877
10,211 36,200 (15,720) 30,691
10,211 36,200 (15,720) 30,691
38,427 195,878 (170,737) 63,568

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