Annual Report of the Trustees of Chichester Area Talking News for the period from 1[st] July 2021 to 30[th] June 2022
Charity Name: Chichester Area Talking News CIO
Charity Number: 1184267
The charity became a CIO at the Annual General Meeting on 24[th] October 2019.
Objects: The Objects of the CIO are to relieve visually impaired and other disabled persons by the provision of a recorded news and magazine service.
Main Activities: Every fortnight the local news, taken mainly from the three editions of the ‘Chichester Observer’ local newspaper, is recorded and sent out to our blind and visually impaired listeners on memory sticks and also online on our website and via Alexa and the British Wireless for the Blind app on smartphones. We also broadcast 4 times a year an audio magazine, ‘Insight’, which features a whole variety of items of interest to our listeners and issue a Newsletter called ‘Team Talk’ to our volunteers 3 times a year to keep them informed.
Public Benefit: Our whole operation has the single purpose of benefiting blind, visually impaired and other disabled people and enabling them to lead safer, more independent and enriched lives. The trustees confirm that when reviewing the charity’s activities and devising future plans they have had regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and complied with their duties under Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011. Letters and cards are regularly received from listeners and their families saying how much they value the service in keeping them in touch with local news and events, providing comfort and reassurance and reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation. These letters and cards sometimes include donations to the charity. Listeners also say how much they appreciate the social
events specifically organised for them by our volunteers such as the Listeners’ Lunch and the lunch and entertainment following the Annual General Meeting which provide them with opportunities to meet fellow listeners and our volunteers. The organisation has also received a Community Award from Chichester City Council recognising the social benefit it provides locally.
Operation of the Service: The service is managed by the Board of Trustees (the Committee) which normally meets four times a year. Our service is provided entirely by volunteers. We have no paid staff and our volunteers do not receive any remuneration. They do not normally claim travel expenses but are reimbursed if they are asked to represent the charity at the Talking News Federation Annual Conference and for purchases of equipment etc for the charity, bought with the agreement of the Board. There are no conflicts of interest and there is no relationship with any related parties. Future plans for the charity are to continue to develop our service, spreading the word through enhanced publicity, our website and information leaflets, to encourage more disabled people to benefit from the free service our volunteers provide.
The Main Activities of the Charity for 2021/2022:
This year we were able to return to recording in the studio at St Richard’s Hospital and to re-establish some of the social activities which our listeners so much enjoy.
We held a very successful Annual General Meeting on 21[st] October 2021 which was Trafalgar Day. We decked the hall with Royal Navy flags and bunting and presented a light-hearted sketch entitled ‘Health and Safety on HMS Victory’ featuring Admiral Nelson and Captain Hardy. The musical entertainment was provided by ‘Los Ladrones’ (The Bandits), a vocal quintet directed by our Treasurer, Geoff Porter. It was a very enjoyable
occasion and a good opportunity for our listeners to meet one another and our volunteers.
We also had an excellent Team Lunch and Listeners’ Lunch which provided further opportunities for our listeners and volunteers to meet.
Bob Money, the trustee responsible for the website, publicity and links with the media, has been very active developing an excellent website, updating our information leaflets and giving talks to local organisations – all vitally important for making CATN better known in the community.
The service continues to work well. We currently have 317 members, including volunteers, and 237 listeners who receive the news on memory sticks. This is a lower number than last year. However, numbers listening online, from our website, Alexa, via the British Wireless for the Blind app and other electronic means continue to increase. We are trying to establish precise numbers so that we know the total size of our audience – on memory sticks and via the internet combined.
We were saddened by the deaths of two key figures in Chichester Area Talking News: John Holloway, our Head of Production, and Richard Williamson. John’s sudden death was a great shock to us all. Many of us attended his funeral to pay tribute to an outstanding professional and a delightful colleague who did so much for our organisation. Fortunately, David Bathurst very readily agreed to take on this role and has introduced a number of new developments. Richard Williamson also died, after a long illness. His ‘Nature Notes’, which Richard recorded specially for us, were very popular with listeners.
Listeners continue to tell us how much they value our service. We receive many cards and letters of thanks which are much appreciated and also serve to confirm that we are contributing to public benefit as a charity. A very moving occasion was an
evening held at the Chichester New Park Cinema in memory of Anva Luc, the blind piano tuner and long term listener to our programmes, which was organised by his widow, Yuriko. It featured a musical performance by his very talented children and a short film of his life. Very generously, Yuriko donated all the profit from the evening to Chichester Area Talking News which made a substantial contribution to our funds.
We have been developing our service in a number of ways. We have strengthened our links with 4Sight Vision Support, the Rehabilitation Officers for Visual Impairment in the West Sussex Adult Services Department, and the staff of the West Sussex Libraries Service with whom we are planning a publicity day shortly.
We are involving more young people in our service. We recorded a very moving interview with a young blind woman who spoke about her experiences and we are introducing sixth formers to writing and recording material for our programmes, which is useful for those who are thinking of careers in broadcasting or journalism as well as helping to safeguard the future of our service.
We express our sincere thanks to everyone in CATN - volunteers, listeners and friends - for all the help and support we receive throughout the year.
Review of the charity’s financial position at 30[th] June 2022: Full details are given in the attached Financial Statements. The trustees have reviewed the financial position and consider it to be satisfactory. The reserves held are sufficient to manage any change in its financial situation which might include very substantial expenditure on finding and equipping a new recording studio and office if there was a need to move at some stage in the future. They are not aware of any significant risks facing the
charity; and they consider there are no uncertainties about it continuing as a ‘going concern’.
Principal sources of funds: The charity is funded by legacies and donations from individual members and from grant-making trusts, and also from fund raising. This year we received a donation in memory of Anva Luc, one of our listeners, as mentioned above, and a legacy from the estate of one of our volunteers as well as a number of other donations.
Governing document: The charity’s governing document is its Constitution, dated 22 June 2019. The charity is a CIO – a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Appointment of trustees and volunteers: The trustees, who form the Committee, are appointed by the Board of Trustees having regard to the needs of the charity and the attributes of the individuals. The Board includes two visually impaired trustees. Appropriate training and induction arrangements are in place and trustees and those volunteers who visit the homes of visually impaired listeners are subject to DBS checks. In accordance with the requirements of the Constitution, the following 4 trustees retired by rotation, offered themselves for re- election, and were reappointed: Mrs E Bush, Mr C Jenner, Mrs J Penn and Mr G Porter.
Trust Details:
Principal Office:
Chichester Area Talking News, The Studio, St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester,
West Sussex PO19 6SE
Tel: 01243 775050 Email: studio@catn.org.uk Website: www.catn.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1184267
Trustees:
Mr R. Bunker (Chairman) (Resigned 20.10.22)
Mrs E Bush (Secretary)
Mr G Porter (Treasurer)
Mr J Holloway (Died 16.01.22)
Mrs H Pinn
Mr R I Money (Vice-Chairman from 20.10.22)
Mr C Jenner
Mrs J Penn
Mr C Mustchin
Mrs C Mustchin (appointed 24.10.19)
Mrs A Brearley-Smith (appointed 08.2.21)
Mr D Bathurst (appointed 08.2.21)
Mr K Pritchard (appointed 08.11.21) (Chairman from 20.10.22)
Mr M Bevis (appointed 07.02.22)
Bankers: Barclays Bank plc East Street, Chichester
Independent Examiner of Accounts: Evans Weir, The Victoria, 25 St Pancras, Chichester West Sussex PO19 7LT
The Trustees’ Report was approved by the Board of Trustees Signed on behalf of the Trustees
Ken Pritchard
(Chairman) Date……9[th] November 2022……………
Registered Office: The Studio, St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester PO19 6SE
(rf any}: Address: Evans Weir. 25 St Pancras. The Victoria. Chichester, P019 7LT Section B Disclosure Only comp ete if the examincr needs to higilight material mattcrs of concern (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiner5). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018