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2021-03-31-accounts

Charity no. 1178384

Sight Support West of England Report and Unaudited Financial Statements

31 March 2021

Sight Support West of England

Reference and administrative details

For theyear ended 31 March 2021 For theyear ended 31 March 2021
Charity number 1178384
Registered office and St Lucy's Sight Centre
operational address Browfort
Bath Road
Devizes
SN10 2AT
Trustees The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report
were as follows:
Nick Grinham Chairman
Heather Armstrong
Carl Hall
Simon Russell
Amar Shah
Lauren Williams
Simon Williams appointed 1 April 2021
Rachel Wheeler appointed 1 April 2021
Chief executive officer Mike Silvey
Bankers CAF Bank Ltd
Kings Hill
West Malling
Kent
ME19 4TA
Independent examiners Godfrey Wilson Limited
Chartered accountants and statutory auditors
5th Floor Mariner House
62 Prince Street
Bristol
BS1 4QD

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021 and also wish to express their sincere thanks to all staff and volunteers for their hard work over the past year.

Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the Constitution and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (effective from January 2019).

About Sight Support West of England

Every 6 minutes someone in the UK is told they are losing their sight, and over 2 million people in the UK are currently estimated to be living with sight loss.

Sight Support West of England was established in April 2018 to provide services for people living with sight loss across Bristol, Bath and North-East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and in Wiltshire and Swindon through our partner charity Wiltshire Sight.

There are almost 8,000 people registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired across our region, including more than 250 children. Each year, around 600 more people are registered as sight impaired.

There are many more people in the area that are not yet diagnosed, undergoing treatment, don’t meet the criteria for registration but have low vision, or have chosen not to be registered. If these people are included, current estimates are that across the region, over 53,000 people are currently living with sight loss - one in every 30 people. With an aging population, and the increasing incidence of conditions like diabetes (with strong links to sight loss), it is forecast that the number of people affected will increase by 25% by 2030.

There are many practical and emotional challenges experienced by visually impaired people, such as safety in the kitchen, a loss of independence, financial or employment worries, loss of confidence, and losing social activities and friendships.

The UK Vision Strategy ‘Seeing it My Way’ initiative sets out a range of outcomes that visually impaired people have said are most important to them. These are:

We take these concerns identified by people living with sight loss to be the starting point for our services.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

The West of England region is diverse covering remote rural areas, coastal towns, deprived inner city areas and everything in between. The needs of people living in our region are affected greatly by this challenging geography. Before Sight Support was founded, services in Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire were inconsistent and disjointed. There are currently no Local Eye Heath Networks across the South West. This means the gap between health and social care is wider than in other areas and good practice here is not routinely shared or developed systematically.

Our challenge is to ensure that all people living with sight loss in the region have access to high quality, joined-up services that deliver the identified outcomes (above) and enable people with sight loss to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Our vision

A world in which people living with sight loss are able to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Our mission

To support people living with, and at risk of, sight loss across the West of England, to improve quality of life and increase individual independence.

Our strategy

Our aim is to ensure that everyone newly diagnosed or living with sight loss in the West of England, including children and young people, have equal and timely access to the support and services they need.

We will work with people affected by sight loss to help them navigate the often complex provision of services, joining up health, social care and community services.

We will work with others to provide the best possible support. These partners include professionals in the health, social care and education sectors. They include other charities and, critically, they include people living with sight loss.

Our strategy is defined by the views and needs of people with sight loss, and our services will reflect this.

Our key strategic objectives are:

  1. To ensure everyone living with sight loss in our region know where they can find relevant support. 2. To improve the sight loss pathway so that everyone has equal, timely access to the services and support they need.

  2. To provide a range of good quality, high impact services guided by the views and needs of people living with sight loss.

  3. To increase awareness of the importance of eye health and the prevention of sight loss; and 5. To build a strong and sustainable organisation which adds real value, can demonstrate impact and has the confidence of the people and organisations we work with. An organisation resilient to external challenges, agile enough to exploit opportunities and able to adapt to the changing needs of our service users.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Our outcomes

Those directly affected by sight loss (including children) will:

Families and carers of people affected by sight loss will have:

Local authorities, health service and other providers in the region will be supported to:

Communities, businesses and the general public in the West of England will have a:

Achievements and performance

The last year has, without a doubt, been a challenging year for everyone. When Coronavirus restrictions began in April 2020, our team adapted quickly to home working. Within a few weeks, we were equipped with PPE and had adapted our resource centres to make them Covid-safe. Unfortunately, with the closing of most external venues, we had to suspend our hub clinics across the region, but we are proud to have kept our resource centres in Bristol and Devizes open throughout the year for face-to-face appointments where needed, whilst adapting other services to be delivered over the phone or online.

The year has been a particularly tough one for many people with sight loss – particularly those living alone without support. Isolation is a major issue for so many of our clients, and the lockdown and extended need to ‘shield’ for many people with underlying health conditions inevitably compounded this for so many people. In April we began to check in by phone with all clients, to make sure they had access to local support and to provide information and emotional support for those most isolated.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

We have continued to provide phone support throughout the year, both through the Sight Loss Advisor team, and through our new volunteer telephone befriending service which started in late April and is still ongoing. One of the participants in our befriending service told us how important this support had been for her in 2020; “I really look forward to the calls, it’s so good to have someone to talk to, and I would feel more isolated without the regular conversations as I don’t get out much apart from going to the post box to return my talking books to you.”

All our social groups and peer support sessions had to move online or be conducted over the phone during the year to March 2021. We focussed on developing new training resources to help visually impaired people access Zoom and other online platforms, and training volunteers in how to facilitate online conversations. One of our clients, Paul, told us “During lockdown every day is the same so having the social group to look forward to and give the day a bit of shape is very important.” And Alan, who has had to shield for a whole twelve months told us “Socials were greatly needed and I was pleased to see the charity understood our needs. It certainly made me feel so much less isolated and I always look forward to seeing my friends on a Friday.”

In June and July 2020, we provided a lot of support to help people get out safely, providing information and support around adapted public transport and shopping trips, including sending out free lanyards to help people with social distancing difficulties – a measure which had significant takeup and received very positive feedback from the visually-impaired community.

In late Autumn, concerned about the health impact of such a long period indoors for many clients, we commissioned a local fitness instructor to produce a set of audio-described exercise classes targeted at older people unable to leave their homes. As well as being accessible through our website, we have made these classes available to clients on USB sticks (for people without access to the internet). The sessions have been so successful that they have been distributed to wider groups across the region by other agencies such as Age UK and Extend Fitness, who run sessions for people with a wide range of disabilities.

With many people shielding or delaying seeking help during the pandemic, new client numbers were significantly reduced this year, with 324 new clients approaching us or being referred for support. However, the number of advice or support sessions delivered over the year increased by 75% to just over 4,200. This is a reflection of the popularity of our telephone services, and that our existing clients felt confident in calling us for help. The closure of many other face-to-face groups and organisations increased demand for our services. We were able to meet this increased demand because of the reduced travel for our services team, instead conducting telephone conversations for anyone who didn’t require a face-to-face appointment.

As the country moves towards opening up again, our focus in the first quarter of 2021 has been on developing ways for people with sight loss to engage more in the community. In February and March we trained a group of Ramblers’ walks leaders to ensure that local walking groups are accessible and welcoming for the visually impaired community. We are also developing new sporting opportunities across the West of England to encourage people to get active again as restrictions ease.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Specific progress against the key objectives we set ourselves for 20-21 is summarised below:

As outlined above, opportunities for growth of services have been driven mainly by needs identified by clients during lockdown – including the need for more accessible audio exercise sessions, the need for emotional support through befriending, and the need for courses to be delivered online. We conducted a phone and online survey of clients’ needs in mid-2020, providing us with an insight into what was working well and what additional services might be needed.

In the Autumn, in response to the concern that many people were being excluded from services and support as more things moved online, we developed a new technology course, ‘Tablets aren’t Just for Swallowing’, designed for people who may have never picked up a tablet or smartphone before, taking them through the basics of using these devices as a visually impaired person.

In late 2020 we launched a new online ‘Moving Forward with Sight Loss’ course, to help local people who are newly diagnosed with sight loss development, with the aim of both providing people with practical information and support, but also developing peer support groups. The first two of these courses have been very successful and have developed into informal social support groups for the participants after the end of the course. Roger and Jane sent us an email after the course, telling us “Thank you for the Moving Forward course covering so much information and useful tips for sight impaired people. Each week it was a very relaxed meeting over Zoom with all participants encouraged to ask questions. The structure of the course was such that many topics were covered, which whilst not directly relevant now, would prove useful in the future. The overall outcome of the course was very positive.”

Our new partnership with the University of West England (UWE) saw the opening of a new Low Vision service in north Bristol in November, where people can see a clinician for a low vision assessment, working alongside one of our Sight Loss Advisors to provide wrap-around support. This is an exciting new service, particularly given the significant waiting times for NHS Low Vision Assessments in the region.

Our relationship with Bristol Sight Loss Council remains strong, and we continue to meet regularly to monitor external developments and key issues for people with sight loss.

Despite the lockdown, we have made significant progress over the past year in building our volunteer team, mainly due to the success of the telephone befriending service set up to help isolated older people during the pandemic. 68 volunteers have provided regular support over the past year, an increase from 25 in the previous year. 36% of our current volunteers are visually impaired themselves. One of our volunteers shared with us how rewarding they found volunteering; “It makes me feel really valued. If I can help one person, it’s worth it.” We are incredibly grateful to all those who have joined the team and provided invaluable support over the year.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Following a consultation process with a representative group of service users, the Board settled on the new name of Sight Support West of England and a smooth transition to the new operating name took place on in early September. The full legal name change with the Charity Commission followed in mid-October. The change of name has been widely welcomed by the visually impaired community and by our partners, and we are confident that the name will help us to grow brand recognition and fundraising as the charity matures.

Sight Support continues to run operations in Wiltshire on behalf of Wiltshire Sight. After exploring a range of potential options for a more formal partnership between Sight Support and Wiltshire Sight, the Board decided to move to a group structure, with Sight Support West of England becoming the sole member of Wiltshire Sight, which remains an independent charity with its own Charity Commission registration. This change took place on 1st April 2021. Wiltshire Sight retains its own Board of Trustees, and this Board is also represented on the Sight Support Board by a cross-over of trustees.

Our fundraising focus remains on building a solid funding base for the future, as our dependence on time-limited start-up grants diminishes.

Our response to the coronavirus pandemic has been supported by many funders who have changed their focus to pandemic-response. Our fundraisers have responded with as much enthusiasm and flexibility as our Services team in searching for new funders and reviewing targets and objectives with existing partners to ensure ongoing support.

There have been impacts on other income streams, seen across the charity sector. Community fundraising and events were cancelled throughout the last year, and while some activity has continued online, virtual events have less opportunity to make fundraising asks, and so raise significantly less. The continuing ‘work from home’ guidance and social distancing within workplaces has reduced corporate donations. And many individuals have given less due to concern about the future or reduced incomes due to furlough. This fundraising climate has increased competition for trusts and foundations, and we do expect this challenge to continue into the next financial year.

Despite the difficult climate, our fundraising team have done well this year, meeting targets and growing our profile as a local charity and recruiting new supporters. Although there is still much to be done, and the fundraising climate has become more difficult, the Board are comfortable that we are on track with our funding strategy and that our plans remain achievable. We are grateful for the continued support of the Thomas Pocklington Trust whilst we continue to build our supporter base.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Plans for opening a retail outlet to raise income for the charity are moving forward, and we hope to see our first store open towards the end of 2021, alongside an online retail outlet. These plans have been welcomed by volunteers and donors, and we are confident that the store will be well supported when it can open.

We continue to focus on ensuring our monitoring and evaluation procedures are fit-for-purpose and are able to demonstrate the quality and impact of our services. Following the introduction of our Sight Loss Assessment evaluation framework last year, in June 2020 we were able to produce our first Impact Report showing progress of our service users against key outcomes – this will now become an annual process which we hope will give a very clear picture of the impact our services are having and how they progress over the years.

Some highlights from the last 12 months show 83% of people who received support from one of our Sight Loss Advisors reported an increase in confidence, and 90% of people reported that they felt more able to manage day-to-day life. In satisfaction ratings, 100% of clients who completed a review rated the service they had received from us as ‘Good’ or higher, with 77% rating it ‘Excellent’. One client, Hazel wrote “What would we do without Sight Support? Especially through the pandemic. Sight Support has kept the local VI community going!”

Plans for the future

At the time of writing, we are still living with Government restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic, so it is hard to predict detailed plans for the coming year with any degree of certainty. However, we are confident that we will be opening up services in the community once more, and we know that there are a significant number of people who will need significant support and confidence building to leave the house and re-engage in the community. This will be a key priority over the summer of 2021. Other development priorities for the charity identified in our operational plan include:

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Financial review

Income for the year was slightly above budget. We did lose income due to the cancellation of community events, not being able to fundraise with our corporate partners, and individuals giving less. However, the fundraising team were able to replace lost income thanks to grant funders and charitable trusts launching covid-19 relief grants. We are grateful to these funders for responding to the situation so promptly, and recognising the work we were doing throughout the year to continue to support people. Expenditure was slightly below budget mainly due to reduced travel around the region, and as a result we finished the year with a surplus of £54,064. The surplus will be used to strengthen our reserves, in line with the Board’s aim to ensure the new charity has a sustainable platform from which to build.

Charitable funders and supporters

Sight Support West of England wishes to thank our two principal funders, the Thomas Pocklington Trust and Wiltshire Sight for their continued support over the last year.

We would also like to thank the following funders and supporters for their generous support during the year:

Associated Optical Masonic Charitable Foundation
Bradley Stoke Town Council National Lottery
The Co-op Local Community Fund Quartet Community Foundation
Dixie Rose Findlay Trust Radstock Town Council
Douglas Arter Foundation The Sobell Foundation
Emersons Green Town Council Sodbury Town Council
The Grace Trust St. Monica Trust
Honourable Company of Gloucestershire Thornbury Town Council
Independent Age WeSport / Sport England
Keynsham Town Council The Worshipful Company of Grocers
The Lynn Foundation Yate Town Council
South Gloucestershire Council MAF

Reserves policy

Sight Support West of England aims to maintain a level of free financial reserves that will enable the charity to meet future commitments and unforeseen expenses without a negative impact on our ability to deliver core services or develop the business in the manner planned.

As a relatively new organisation, receiving approximately 60% of our income from time-limited startup grants, Sight Support is particularly vulnerable to sudden drops in funding. Whilst we are working to reduce our reliance on current core start-up funding contracts, the Board acknowledges that fundraising takes time to build, and has therefore set a reserves policy that helps to mitigate our risk exposure.

In consideration of the above, the Board of Trustees has concluded that the Charity should keep available as free reserves an amount that would cover the equivalent of three months operating cost, plus an additional amount to cover our potential fundraising deficit for the next year. In doing so, the Board aims to ensure that the Charity is able to continue to provide our core services.

The agreed target level of free reserves has therefore been set at £130,000, which the Board believes would provide them with the safeguards needed to be able to guarantee continuity of services for a period of at least twelve months regardless of funding uncertainty.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

The trustees have also set aside the amount of £28,000 as a Designated Fund to cover the TUPE redundancy liability for staff delivering the South Gloucestershire Rehabilitation Service.

The trustees have agreed that any reserves accrued above the target amount will be used for the following purposes:

As at 31st March 2021 our free reserves are £120,924, which is getting close to the desired level set by the trustees as outlined above.

The Board also commit to holding sufficient restricted reserves to cover the cost of our contractual commitments, as agreed with each contracting agency.

Structure, governance and management

The charity was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charities Commission in England & Wales and Companies House on the 15 May 2018. The original name of the charity was Vision South West, and it is governed by its Constitution.

The charity passed a special resolution on 29 March 2019 changing its name to Vision West of England. A further resolution was passed on 25 September 2020 to change the name to Sight Support West of England.

Sight Support West of England’s Board of Trustees is currently made up of 8 people, with a range of backgrounds, skills and professions, and we aim to expand and strengthen the Board over the coming year, with a particular focus on increasing the number of visually impaired Board members.

The charity is staffed by a small team of dedicated staff, headed up by the Chief Executive, supported by the Head of Services. Staff are based at either our Bristol or Devizes offices, or work remotely providing services across our geographic area of remit. Staff pay and benefits are reviewed annually by the Trustees at their September meeting.

In February 2021, the Board conducted an annual self-audit exercise, working through the Charity Commission and NCVO finance and governance checklists, to identify areas of concern and to ensure our policies, procedures and systems were fit for purpose and of a high standard.

Risk management and delegation

The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate systems and controls are in place in order to mitigate those risks and to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. During the year the trustees have considered the major risks and systems have been put in place to mitigate their impact. The risk analysis is discussed at every Board meeting, and a full review takes place annually.

The charity has a Schedule of Delegation in place which defines which decisions are taken by the Board of Trustees and which are delegated to staff. The Schedule looks specifically at areas of strategy, risk management, legal obligations, organisational policies and procedures, variations to agreed budget and strategic use of reserves.

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Sight Support West of England

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Public benefit

The board of trustees have given due consideration to Charity Commission published guidance on the operation of the public benefit requirement and confirm that these requirements are met by the charity.

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the incoming resources and application of resources, including the net income or expenditure, of the charity for the year. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the constitution. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Members of the charity have no liability to contribute to the assets and no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities in the event of winding up. The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

Independent examiners

Godfrey Wilson Limited were re-appointed as independent examiners to the charity during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

Approved by the trustees on 30 July 2021 and signed on their behalf by

Nick Grinham - Chair of Trustees

11

Independent examiner's report

To the trustees of

Sight Support West of England

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Sight Support West of England (the CIO) for the year ended 31 March 2021, which are set out on pages 13 to 27.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s 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

Since the CIO’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which is one of the listed bodies.

Godfrey Wilson Limited also provides bookkeeping services to the CIO. I confirm that as a member of the ICAEW I am subject to the FRC’s Revised Ethical Standard 2016, which I have applied with respect to this engagement.

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:

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.

Date: 3 August 2021 Rob Wilson FCA Member of the ICAEW For and on behalf of: Godfrey Wilson Limited Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

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Sight Support West of England

Statement of financial activities

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Restricted Unrestricted
Note
£
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
3
-
31,650
Charitable activities
4
166,066
326,410
Other trading activities
-
855
Total income
166,066
358,915
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
-
81,585
Charitable activities
166,066
223,266
Total expenditure
6
166,066
304,851
Net income and net movement in funds
7
-
54,064
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
7,000
94,860
Total funds carried forward
7,000
148,924		 2021
Total
£
31,650
492,476
855
524,981
81,585
389,332
470,917
54,064
101,860
155,924		 2020
Total
£
13,380
402,225
5,054
420,659
47,427
342,537
389,964
30,695
71,165
101,860

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 15 to the accounts.

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Sight Support West of England

Balance sheet

As at 31 March 2021

Note
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
10
Current assets
Stock
11
Debtors
12
Cash at bank and in hand
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due within 1 year
13
Net current assets
Net assets
14
Funds
15
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Designated funds
General funds
Total charity funds		 £
2,318
116,237
58,095
176,650
(22,198)		 2021
£
1,472
154,452
155,924
7,000
28,000
120,924
155,924		 2020
£
2,548
-
26,976
85,877
112,853
(13,541)
99,312
101,860
7,000
28,000
66,860
101,860

Approved by the trustees on 30 July 2021 and signed on their behalf by

Nick Grinham - Chair of Trustees

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Sight Support West of England

Statement of cash flows

For the year ended 31 March 2021

Net movement in funds
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges
Decrease / (increase) in stock
Decrease / (increase) in debtors
Increase / (decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Net cash provided by / (used in) investing activities
Increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		 2021
£
54,064
1,076
(2,318)
(89,261)
8,657
(27,782)
-
-
(27,782)
85,877
58,095		 2020
£
30,695
680
-
(21,112)
(5,303)
4,960
(3,228)
(3,228)
1,732
84,145
85,877

The charity has not provided an analysis of changes in net debt as it does not have any long term financing arrangements.

- -

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Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

1. Accounting policies

a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities in preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

Sight Support West of England meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

b) Going concern basis of accounting

The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charity is able to continue as a going concern. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a profound impact on the global economy, and may in turn affect the charity’s fundraising efforts in the future. The trustees have considered the impact of this issue on the charity’s current and future financial position. The charity holds unrestricted, general reserves of £120,924, and has secure grant agreements in place with our key funders for the next 12 months, with assurances that funding will not be materially affected for the 12 months after that. For this reason the trustees consider that the charity has sufficient cash reserves to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from the date on which these financial statements are approved.

c) Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from the government and other grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of provision of a specified service is deferred until criteria for income recognition are met.

d) Donated services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item, is probable and the economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised.

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

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Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

e) Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity: this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

f) Funds accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity's work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.

g) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

h) Allocation of support and governance costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity, including the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements and any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities on the following basis:

ities on the following basis:
2021 2020
Raising funds 14.2% 13.2%
Charitable activities 85.8% 86.8%

i) Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows: Computer equipment 3 years straight line

Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £500.

j) Stock

Stock is included at the lower of cost or net realisable value. Donated items of stock are recognised at fair value which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay for the items on the open market.

k) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

17

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

l) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

m) Creditors

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

n) Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently recognised at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

o) Pension costs

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for its employees. There are no further liabilities other than that already recognised in the SOFA.

p) Accounting estimates and key judgements

In the application of the charity's accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

The key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements are described below.

Depreciation

As described in note 1i to the financial statements, depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life.

18

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

2. Prior period comparatives: statement of financial activities

Income from:
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Other trading activities
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
Net income and net movement in funds
Income from donations and legacies
Donations
Gifts in kind
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Total		 Restricted
£
£
-
13,380
142,664
259,561
-
5,054
142,664
277,995
-
47,427
135,664
206,873
135,664
254,300
7,000
23,695
2021
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
-
5,148
5,148
-
11,755
11,755
-
14,747
14,747
-
31,650
31,650
Unrestricted
Unrestricted		 2020
Total
£
13,380
402,225
5,054
420,659
47,427
342,537
389,964
30,695
2020
Total
£
4,037
9,343
-
13,380

3. Income from donations and legacies

Gifts in kind comprise the provision of office space. All income from donations and legacies in the prior period was unrestricted.

4. Income from charitable activities

Events and community
Resource sales
Grants
Statutory
Total income from charitable activities		 Restricted
£
£
-
332
-
3,674
166,066
212,704
-
109,700
166,066
326,410
Unrestricted		 2021
Total
£
332
3,674
378,770
109,700
492,476

19

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

4. Income from charitable activities - prior period comparative

Events and community
Resource sales
Grants
Statutory
Corporate
Total income from charitable activities		 Restricted
£
£
-
2,513
-
2,298
138,164
200,000
-
54,750
4,500
-
142,664
259,561
Unrestricted		 2020
Total
£
2,513
2,298
338,164
54,750
4,500
402,225

5. Government grants

The charitable company receives government grants, defined as funding from South Gloucestershire Council and from the Coronavirus Job Rentention Scheme to fund charitable activities. The total value of such grants in the period ending 31 March 2021 was £126,348 (2020: £54,750). There are no unfulfilled conditions or contingencies attaching to these grants in 2020-21.

20

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

6.
Total expenditure
Staff costs (note 8)
Other staff costs
Direct project costs
Fundraising
Bank charges
Printing, postage and stationery
Insurance
Premises costs
Communications
Meeting and travel costs
Accountancy
Legal fees
Depreciation
IT and support costs
Subscriptions
Miscellaneous costs
Sub-total
Allocation of support costs
Total expenditure		 Raising
funds
£
47,519
-
-
20,922
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
68,441
13,144
81,585		 Charitable
activities
Support and
governance
costs
£
£
286,357
37,082
-
889
17,930
-
-
-
-
133
5,835
-
-
987
-
29,546
-
2,751
-
-
-
7,059
-
3,150
-
1,076
-
7,849
-
1,260
-
572
310,122
92,354
79,210
(92,354)
389,332
-
2021		 2021 Total
£
370,958
889
17,930
20,922
133
5,835
987
29,546
2,751
-
7,059
3,150
1,076
7,849
1,260
572
470,917
-
470,917		 Raising
funds
£
34,210
-
-
812
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
35,022
12,405
47,427		 Charitable
activities
Support and
governance
costs
£
£
225,927
36,889
-
4,047
34,686
-
-
-
-
118
-
2,120
-
1,748
-
26,145
-
3,651
-
358
-
7,577
-
850
-
680
-
9,046
-
714
-
386
260,613
94,329
81,924
(94,329)
342,537
-
2020		 2020 Total
£
297,026
4,047
34,686
812
118
2,120
1,748
26,145
3,651
358
7,577
850
680
9,046
714
386
389,964
-
389,964

Total governance costs were £5,070 (2020 - £2,710)

21

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

7. Net movement in funds

This is stated after charging:

Net movement in funds
This is stated after charging:
2021 2020
£ £
Depreciation 1,076 680
Trustees' remuneration Nil Nil
Trustees' reimbursed expenses Nil Nil
Independent examiners' remuneration:
Independent examination (including VAT) 1,920 1,860
Other services 5,139 5,016

8. Staff costs and numbers

Staff costs were as follows:

Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Pension costs		 2021
£
328,438
24,186
18,334
370,958		 2020
£
262,826
19,997
14,203
297,026

No employee earned more than £60,000 during the year.

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Trustees and Chief Executive Officer. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £65,346 (2020 - £60,934).

Average head count 2021
No.
14.25		 2020
No.
12.00

9. Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

22

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

10. Tangible fixed assets
Cost
At 1 April 2020
Additions in year
At 31 March 2021
Depreciation
At 1 April 2020
Charge for the year
At 31 March 2021
Net book value
At 31 March 2021
At 31 March 2020
11. Stock
Finished goods
12. Debtors
Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
Intercharity loan (Wiltshire Blind Association)		 2021
£
2,318
2,318
2021
£
1,020
1,568
113,649
116,237		 Total
£
3,228
-
3,228
680
1,076
1,756
1,472
2,548
2020
£
-
-
2020
£
1,900
-
25,076
26,976

23

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

13. Creditors : amounts due within 1 year

Creditors : amounts due within 1 year
Trade creditors
Accruals
Other taxation and social security
Other creditors		 2021
£
8,799
5,583
7,816
-
22,198		 2020
£
2,484
1,860
7,147
2,050
13,541

14. Analysis of net assets between funds

Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets at 31 March 2021
Prior year comparative
Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets at 31 March 2020		 £
-
7,000
-
7,000
£
-
7,000
-
7,000
Restricted
funds
Restricted
funds		 £
-
28,000
-
28,000
£
-
28,000
-
28,000
Designated
funds
Designated
funds		 General
funds
£
1,472
141,650
(22,198)
120,924
General
funds
£
2,548
77,853
(13,541)
66,860		 Total
funds
£
1,472
176,650
(22,198)
155,924
Total
funds
£
2,548
112,853
(13,541)
101,860

24

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

15. Movements in funds

Restricted funds
Independent Age
Quartet Community Foundation
Sobell Foundation
South Gloucestershire Council
St Monica Trust
The Grocers' Charity
The National Lottery
WeSport
Wiltshire Blind Association
Smaller grants under £1,000
Total restricted funds
Designated funds
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds
Unrestricted funds		 At 1 April
2020
£
-
-
7,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7,000
28,000
66,860
94,860
101,860		 Income
£
11,500
4,275
7,000
1,900
1,125
4,562
10,000
2,885
120,369
2,450
166,066
-
358,915
358,915
524,981		 £
(11,500)
(4,275)
(7,000)
(1,900)
(1,125)
(4,562)
(10,000)
(2,885)
(120,369)
(2,450)
(166,066)
-
(304,851)
(304,851)
(470,917)
Expenditure		 £
£
-
-
-
-
-
7,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7,000
-
28,000
-
120,924
-
148,924
-
155,924
Transfers
between
funds
At 31
March 2021		 £
£
-
-
-
-
-
7,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7,000
-
28,000
-
120,924
-
148,924
-
155,924
Transfers
between
funds
At 31
March 2021
7,000
28,000
120,924
148,924
155,924

Purposes of restricted funds

Independent Age

To deliver community sight loss services and help to reduce isolation in older people.

Quartet Community Foundation

To deliver community sight loss advice services in South Gloucestershire.

Sobell Foundation

To deliver community sight loss advice services in Bristol.

South Gloucestershire Council

To deliver community sight loss services in South Gloucestershire.

St Monica Trust

To develop and distribute audio-described exercise classes for older people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

25

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

15. Movements in funds (continued) Purposes of restricted funds (continued)

The Grocers' Charity

To cover the costs of a Community Sight Loss Advisor.

The National Lottery

To deliver community sight loss services in Bristol

WeSport

To develop audio-described exercise classes and walking groups for people with sight loss in Bristol, Bath and South Glos

Wiltshire Blind Association

To provide information, advice and support to blind and partially sighted people in Wiltshire and Swindon.

Purposes of designated funds

To cover the TUPE redundancy liability for staff delivering the South Gloucestershire Rehabilitation Service.

Prior year comparative
Restricted funds
Quartet Community Foundation
Sobell Foundation
The Boshier Hinton Foundation
Wiltshire Blind Association
Total restricted funds
Designated funds
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds
Unrestricted funds		 At 1 April
2019
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
71,165
71,165
71,165		 Income
£
2,000
7,000
2,000
131,664
142,664
-
277,995
277,995
420,659		 £
(2,000)
-
(2,000)
(131,664)
(135,664)
-
(254,300)
(254,300)
(389,964)
Expenditure		 £
£
-
-
-
7,000
-
-
-
-
-
7,000
28,000
28,000
(28,000)
66,860
-
94,860
-
101,860
Transfers
between
funds
At 31
March 2020		 £
£
-
-
-
7,000
-
-
-
-
-
7,000
28,000
28,000
(28,000)
66,860
-
94,860
-
101,860
Transfers
between
funds
At 31
March 2020
7,000
28,000
66,860
94,860
101,860

26

Sight Support West of England

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2021

16. Related party transactions and post balance sheet events

Nick Grinham and Carl Hall, trustees of Sight Support West of England (SSWE), are also trustees of Wiltshire Blind Association (WBA). During the year ended 31 March 2021, WBA collected monies on behalf of SSWE and granted £120,369 (2020 - £131,664) for the purposes described in note 15. At 31 March 2021, SSWE was owed £113,649 by WBA (2020: £25,076).

From 1 April 2021 the relationship between the entitites will be formalised with SSWE becoming the sole member of WBA and therefore SSWE will be producing consolidated accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022. However, WBA will remain an independent charity with its own Board of Trustees and its own set of accounts.

27

Rob Wilson FCA Godfrey Wilson Limited Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditors 5[th] Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

30 July 2021

Dear Rob

Letter of Representations on the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021

We confirm that the following representations are made on the basis of enquiries of the trustees, management and staff with relevant knowledge and experience (and, where appropriate, of inspection of supporting documentation) sufficient to satisfy ourselves that we can properly make each of the following representations to you:

  1. We have fulfilled our responsibilities as trustees, as set out in the terms of your engagement letter dated 21 July 2021, under the Charities Act 2011 for preparing financial statements, in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

We confirm that in our opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view and in particular that where any additional information must be disclosed in order to give a true and fair view that information has in fact been disclosed. We confirm that the selection and application of the accounting policies used in the preparation of the financial statements are appropriate, and we approve these accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021.

  1. We confirm that all accounting records have been made available to you for the purpose of your examination, in accordance with your terms of engagement, and that all the transactions undertaken by the charity have been properly reflected and recorded in the accounting records. All other records and related information, including minutes of all management, trustees’ and members’ meetings, have been made available to you. We have given you unrestricted access to persons within the charity in order to obtain evidence and have provided any additional information that you have requested for the purposes of your examination.

  2. We confirm the charity has satisfactory title to all assets and there are no liens or encumbrances on the assets, except for those disclosed in the financial statements.

  3. We confirm that significant assumptions used by us in making accounting estimates, including those measured at fair value, are reasonable. We confirm that we have no plans or intentions that may materially alter the carrying value and where relevant the fair value measurements or classification of assets and liabilities reflected in the financial statements.

  4. We confirm that the charity has no liabilities or contingent liabilities other than those disclosed in the financial statements.

Tel 0117 3224885, Email info@sightsupportwest.org.uk Sight Support is a registered charity no. 1178384 Registered Office: St Lucy’s Sight Centre, The Beeches, Browfort, Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 2AT

  1. We confirm that all known actual or possible litigation and claims whose effects should be considered when preparing the financial statements have been disclosed to you and accounted for and disclosed in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.

  2. We confirm that there have been no events since the balance sheet date which require disclosing or which would materially affect the amounts in the financial statements, other than those already disclosed or included in the financial statements.

  3. We confirm that we are aware that a related party of the charity is a person or organisation which either (directly or indirectly) controls, has joint control of, or significantly influences the charity or vice versa and as a result will include: trustees, other key management, close family and other business interests of the previous. We confirm that all related party relationships and transactions have been accounted for and disclosed in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.

  4. We confirm that the charity neither had, at any time during the year, any arrangement, transaction or agreement to provide credit facilities (including advances and credits granted by the charity) for trustees, nor provided guarantees of any kind on behalf of the trustees except as disclosed in the financial statements.

  5. We confirm that the charity has not contracted for any capital expenditure other than as disclosed in the financial statements.

  6. We confirm that the charity has complied with all aspects of contractual agreements that could have a material effect on the financial statements in the event of non-compliance.

  7. We confirm that we are not aware of any possible or actual instance of non-compliance with those laws and regulations which provide a legal framework within which the charity conducts its activities and which are central to the charity’s ability to conduct its activities, except as explained to you and as disclosed in the financial statements.

  8. We acknowledge our responsibility for the design, implementation and maintenance of internal controls to prevent and detect fraud. We confirm that we have disclosed to you the results of our risk assessment of the risk of fraud in the organisation.

  9. We confirm that there have been no actual or suspected instances of fraud involving trustees, management or employees who have a significant role in internal control or that could have a material effect on the financial statements. We also confirm that we are not aware of any allegations of fraud by trustees, former trustees, employees, former employees, regulators or others.

  10. We confirm that, in our opinion, the charity’s financial statements should be prepared on the going concern basis on the grounds that current and future sources of funding or support will be more than adequate for the charity’s needs. In reaching this conclusion, we have taken into account all relevant matters of which we are aware, and have considered a period of at least one year from the date on which the financial statements will be approved.

  11. We confirm that in our opinion the effects of uncorrected misstatements are immaterial, both individually and in aggregate, to the financial statements as a whole.

  12. We confirm that we are not aware of any matters of material significance that should be reported to regulators. We confirm that all correspondence with the Charity Commission has been made available to you.

  13. We confirm that all grants, donations and other income, including those subject to special terms or conditions or received for restricted purposes, have been notified to you. There have been no breaches of terms or conditions during the period regarding the application of such income.

Yours sincerely

Nick Grinham – Chair For and on behalf of the trustees of Sight Support West of England