Visionary briefing 16 September 2020

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Your Briefing – 16 September 2020

This week
 Visionary latest – How Visionary can support you
COVID-19: A sector-wide approach – How the sector is working together
It’s all about the money – Funding news, opportunities and updates
Member Spotlight – News and successes from our members
HR and Health and Safety Matters – HR and health and safety advice and information
Sharing the love – Great ideas, successes and stuff that works
In the know – Latest COVID-19 updates, news and resources

Welcome to your fortnightly briefing. Below we share the news that matters to you, highlight some of the fantastic work you have shared with us, and share our continuing programme of online sessions taking us through September.

If you have any news you would like to include in this briefing please email us.

Visionary Latest

Visionary Online Annual Conference, 18 to 20 November 2020
Call for nomination for the Visionary Annual Awards
Connect – Develop – Share
The Visionary Annual Awards aim to recognise and celebrate the impactful services delivered by sight loss charities and the positive difference you make to the lives of blind and partially sighted people. Highlighting the achievements of local charities helps share good practice across the sector and draws attention to the talent, expertise and impact of the local sight loss sector. The awards are open to Visionary members and some are open to our national partners. You can nominate your own organisation or another that you believe deserves recognition by 2 November, 12pm midday.

Award winners are selected by a Visionary member and partner vote and will be announced at the Visionary Annual Conference on Friday 20 November. There are cash awards, a trophy and branded electronic PR resources. Full details on the 4 award categories and how to make a submission are available on the Visionary website.

We will be sharing all news and updates in this briefing, across our social media and on our dedicated conference webpage., but in the meantime, please save the date!

Read the interesting blog on “The obsession with mergers ignores the principle of choice” by our keynote speaker Debra Allcock Tyler, Chief Executive of Directory of Social Change.

How we are supporting you

Visionary Helpdesk
We can provide immediate advice and support via our Telephone Helpdesk on 020 8090 9264 or email

Visionary online
Connecting and developing you and your organisations through our programme of regular one-hour support sessions.

Wednesday 16 September, 2pm to 3pm
Children Young People and Families – frameworks for parent support groups and service development
To register and join, click here.
Would you like to know more about how to set up and support parents with peer support groups? Donna Stephenson, Families Officer at Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) will be talking about the TPT framework which aims to guide parents through some key considerations. Emma Cruickshank, TPT’s Head of Children Young People and Families will also be available to talk about TPT’s updated Children Young People and Families service development framework, with key topics to guide you through designing services for Children Young People and Families.

Thursday 17 September, 10am to 11am (fortnightly session)
Opening services and the workplace as COVID-19 restrictions ease
To register and join, click here.
Our regular, expert led, highly interactive forum exploring how to overcome barriers to opening services and your workplaces. As restrictions ease even further there is a lot more you could now do, but do you want to do it and how should you go about it? Recent discussions have included conducting home visits, COVID-19 testing of staff and temperature checking. Come prepared to share your queries, experiences and documents. Also visit the Visionary website for resources.

Monday 21 September, 3pm to 4pm (monthly session)
Finance forum
To register and join, click here.
A regular opportunity for all involved in the financial management and oversight in their organisations to simply connect, share and develop. This forum is more about the how you manage finances i.e. accounting, practical budget management, cash flow, financial systems/software used etc. Experienced in financial management but new to charity accounting? Then simply come along and discuss with others queries from how to monitor restricted income spend to the charity SORP.

Tuesday 22 September, 10am to 11am (and every Tuesday at 10am)
CEO weekly support session
Staff wellbeing
To register and join, click here.
Please note, if you have registered for a previous CEO weekly support session, you do not need to register again – simply use the same joining details you received when you registered.
Our regular session for CEOs – this time facilitated by Stuart Clayton CEO of Galloway’s Society for the Blind to discuss staff wellbeing. Future sessions will be a mix of open sessions with no agenda. And in the pipeline:

  • Understanding the fundraising of the future
  • Partnership working at a local level
  • Public health discussion

Thursday 24 September, 9.30am to 10.30am
Handling small scale redundancies
Register and join here.
The impact of COVID-19 is causing many organisations to evaluate and redesign their operational and financial models and as a consequence redundancies have unfortunately been inevitable, including amongst Visionary members. Alison Smith, Director and Lead Consultant at Roots HR, will deliver this session exploring key areas of consideration and how to plan and handle small scale redundancies.

Tuesday 29 September, 11am to 12pm (monthly)
Rehab forum
To register and join, click here.
Please note, if you have registered previously for this session, you do not need to register again. Simply use the same joining details you received when you registered.
Following the success of our first Rehab Workers Forum, this session will be of interest to any members involved in delivering rehab services. The aim of the forum is to provide you with a space to regularly share new ideas and support each other through these difficult times. It will be an opportunity for you to connect with other people working in rehab who are facing similar challenges to talk about real life practical solutions.

Thursday 1 October, 11am to 12pm
Tech forum
Register and join here.
This forum is our regular session designed to provide an informal space to share ideas and experiences of designing and delivering tech services. We know this is a dynamic area of service delivery where shared innovative practices could be of huge benefit to visually impaired communities. The forum is open to any Visionary member/staff and will be facilitated by Mark Owen and David Quarmby of Kirklees Visual Impairment Network.

Thursday 1 October, 12.30pm to 1.30pm (monthly)
Fundraisers forum
Register and join here.
Aimed at fundraisers of all levels, this forum will provide fundraisers with a platform to collaborate and share ideas to benefit local sight loss organisations. The group will discuss what has worked and what hasn’t, new fundraising ideas and opportunities as well as successful campaigns and marketing pitches. The session will be facilitated by Sue Piper, Head of Fundraising at Kent Association for the Blind.

Tuesday 13 October, 4pm to 5pm (monthly session)
Trustees forum
To register and join, click here.
Whether you’re an experienced trustee or new to the role then please do consider joining this forum to connect, share and develop with trustees from across the Visionary network. Following on from requests at the previous Trustee forum, this session will have a Health and Safety (H and S) input from Carl Harrison, who along with being a trustee at Galloways, is also an experienced Health and Safety professional providing support directly to Visionary members. Please be assured that this forum is a secure, interactive trustee led space for trustees to share their experience, questions, challenges and learning with others and there will be plenty of time for discussion upon any area trustees wish.

If you missed any of our previous sessions

CEO weekly support session, 8 September
Lisa Cowley, CEO of Beacon hosted the CEO session of 8 September. Lisa talked about the highs and lows of delivering social care throughout the pandemic. The session was really interesting, sharing a huge amount of learning and reflections.

Lisa talked about the implications of the Emergency Powers Act which has been implemented in some areas covered by Beacon. This has meant that there is no longer a legal requirement to carry out assessments or investigate safeguarding issues – both very alarming and frightening situations for vulnerable people.

We heard about the difficulties for visually impaired people when no-one can be identified because of PPE and we also talked about the difficulties of caring for people when wearing PPE.

As always finances came up and although the cost of providing care significantly increasing due to COVID related expenses (such as PPE) the income is not expected to match the heightened costs. This poses a real threat to third sector organisations providing social care.

Lisa spoke very movingly about the amazing Beacon staff team who were re-deployed (in some cases from admin) to provide front line care. All of us on the call felt for the team and the situations they dealt with – and by what Lisa told us, they dealt with things admirably well.

Huge thanks to Lisa and Beacon for being honest and open about their experience. One of the best sessions we have had yet!

CEO weekly support session, 15 September
Thanks to Owen Williams, Chair of Visionary for chairing this session whilst Fiona is on holiday! The group discussed the following:

  • Local lockdowns – Challenges include trust amongst service users with some keen to get back whilst others are nervous and have lost confidence. There’s a need for consistent messages without raising expectations. Organisations are looking to deliver services that they can maintain.
  • Accrington and District Blind Society booking system – The society was praised for its Microsoft Outlook booking system. People can book a visit online or by ringing the charity.
  • Pressures on local authority budgets – COVID-19 has put a huge pressure on local authority budgets which has affected ROVI and third sector. There is a huge number of ROVI vacancies. Apprenticeship levy is not supportive for the third sector.
  • People with sight loss verbally abused – Group discussed concerns raised by people with sight loss and how they are coping in COVID-19 times with a loss of confidence and being unsafe to socially distance. It was felt that we must do more as a sector and that it is a national issue. Nationals could work together to take to equality boards and raise awareness amongst general public. The group discussed the need for a TV advert.
  • Transport – Members working with transport providers to address issues such as difficulty around seating on buses. It was highlighted there is no consistent model.
  • Education – With vision impaired children going back to school, the group discussed the need for advocates. Members felt that template letters would be a fantastic resource and is something Visionary could lead on, e.g. complaint letter where the school are not supporting the child’s needs.
  • Move away from office-base – Move toward meeting people within their community and not bringing them to an office / premise. Members looking to get rid of all offices or downsize.
  • Need for more effective administration / IT systems.
  • Charitylog implementation – Charitylog is a comprehensive charity CRM solution for managing client and service users in the cloud. Members have used this system with success, and it is accessible to screen readers. Discussed recording service user details and the need to harvest records. Group members also use Devon Insight’s Sight Loss MOT which is an assessment, action planning and outcome framework that ensures people who are blind or partially sighted can access the information and support they need in order to maximise their independence, wellbeing and choices.
  • Community Services – New mobile van to deliver services locally – also raise awareness of sight loss and the society. Group shared examples where providing services and support within the community has proved beneficial and has enabled them to reach new members.
  • National Eye Health Week – Group discussed what they are doing during NEHW which includes changing email signatures, promoting of key message, social media and e-bulletins.

Opening services and the workplace as COVID-19 restrictions ease, 3 September
These sessions continue to be useful and well attended. What is clear is that members are at different stages in their approaches to re-opening and resuming varying levels of services/provision. However this also demonstrates the power of an effective network such as Visionary because as people raise issues and ask questions then other members are keen and willing to share their approaches and solutions. Subjects covered in the session included home visits – guides/views on PPE, space/duration and temperature checks (for both the visitor and the visited). The issue of regularly testing staff was discussed as this had been seen in other charities (not sight loss organisations). Whatever stage you may be at regarding any of your activities or opening the office, then do come to the session or contact Carl Harrison direct for support.

The session continues to be underpinned by our retained Health and Safety consultant Carl Harrison who is also available to provide members with free advice. Contact him directly should you wish 01257 230584 / 07983 720208 or email.

Fundraisers forum, 3 September
Sue Piper, Head of Fundraising at Kent Association for the Blind facilitated another excellent fundraisers forum. It was another interesting session with discussion focusing on what members would like to be covered in the legacy session, restarting community fundraising online payments including paypal digital and givey.com. The group also discussed World Sight Day and National Eye Health Week online. The next session will take place on Thursday 1 October, 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Sterling lotteries have kindly agreed to attend and present information about establishing a lottery. They are one of may providers but will give you a great insight into how to set up and run a lottery to generate income.

Focus on legacy fundraising, 9 September
Alex McDowell Head of Fundraising at RNIB delivered a highly informative and interesting presentation about legacy fundraising. He covered the why, what, who and how of a developing successful, legacy fundraising strategy. Participants left with some great ideas of how to take forward legacy fundraising within their own organisation. For those who were unable to attend, the presentation and audio recording can be requested by emailing us.

Small organisations forum, 10 September
Hayley Grocock, CEO of Wakefield and District Blind Society hosted the Small organisations forum. The session was valuable to participants who discussed new COVID-19 rules, local lockdowns and shared their ideas and experiences of how to navigate re-opening services, revising service offer and meeting the needs of visually impaired people. The date for the next session in October is to be confirmed.

Trustee forum, 15 September
Responding to feedback from trustees, this month’s Trustee Forum focused upon Trustees’ role and responsibilities in relation to Health and Safety (H and S). There was expert input from Carl Harrison, a H and S expert who is Visionary’s retained H and S advisor and a trustee of Galloways, a local sight loss charity based in Lancashire. Carl outlined that in order to meet their obligations, trustees needed to go beyond simply accepting assurances from the organisation’s management team that “appropriate steps were in place”. Just as they would regarding finances, the Board needed to feel confident that there is evidence of suitable and sufficient risk control measures in place. Carl emphasised the need for trustees to support their operational teams as they worked hard to balance supporting blind and partially sighted people whilst complying with constantly evolving COVID-19 guidance.

Both Carl and Andy discussed the various topics the regular Visionary H and S support sessions had been covering with operational staff and outlined that an extensive range of expert developed good practice downloadable resources, policies and risk assessments were accessible for all members to access on the Visionary website. It was also emphasised that should trustees want any H and S advice, or any other support in their role as a trustee, then they can contact Visionary for support.

Trustees at the session also discussed broader issues such as a Trustee Code of Conduct, addressing conflicts of interest, remote working and the running of “remote services”.

The next Trustee Forum will take place on Tuesday 13 October, 4pm to 5 pm and as requested will focus upon members sharing examples of what their organisations have done to cope with COVID-19.

COVID-19: A sector-wide approach

RNIB – Rehab services – Direct mailing to Local Authority elected members (Councillors) responsible for Adult Social Care
Following up on the issuing of the interim Rehabilitation guidance (Visionary Briefing 2 September 2020) the RNIB campaigns team are directly contacting all 151 English Councils, in particular the lead member (an elected Councillor) responsible for Adult Social Care. The aim of this is to raise awareness of the effectiveness of and investment in vision rehabilitation services. The RNIB ask for a number of pieces of information. The email can be viewed on the Visionary website. We know that almost 25% of Visionary members deliver VI rehab services upon behalf of their local councils, so you may well get asked by your council to help provide information in response to this RNIB campaign. Or you may want to check how your local authority is responding. The Visionary Members Consultative Group (MCG) is meeting this week and will discuss how to further engage with this campaign. If you have any feedback then please do contact your regional rep or Visionary direct.

Segmentation research: request for support from Visionary members
Guide Dogs, RNIB and Thomas Pocklington Trust are funding research to improve understanding of the needs of blind and partially sighted people. The aim is to listen to different sections of this broad audience in more detail and better define and understand their specific attitudes and needs. Almost 800 people will be interviewed. The findings of the research will be published in early to mid-2021 and shared with Visionary and other partners in the eye health and sight loss sector. This will benefit local organisations in planning of services and as part of the wider evidence available to support business cases and funding bids.

Having spoken with Visionary about this research prior to COVID-19, we are now restarting this project and would like to work with Visionary members to encourage participation in this research from blind and partially sighted people. We do not want to incur any additional work for Visionary member organisations, so our hope is that this would be in the form of promotion within current newsletters and other communications sent to Visionary members’ members rather than any separate mailings. Go to the Visionary website for further details and to download a press release which can be used to provide detail about the research.

Ensuring disabled customers can purchase essential goods: new guidance for retailers from the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Retailers have had a particularly important role to play in ensuring the nation has access to food and other essentials and in providing a safe environment for people to shop. To help retailers meet their legal obligations the Equality and Human Rights Commission (supported by Scope, Mind, Disability Rights UK, Alzheimers Society, RNIB, Action on Hearing Loss and Age UK) has issued new guidance on their website which explains the simple steps retailers can take to ensure they comply with the law.

Guidance for schools and professionals on the needs of vision impaired children returning to school
Thomas Pocklington Trust, together with RNIB, Guide Dogs, VIEW, Sense, Habilitation VI UK and The National Sensory Impairment Partnership, has drafted guidance for schools and professionals on the needs of vision impaired children returning to school. This includes peripatetic support, specialist equipment, remote learning and face masks. Read the joint letter on the Visionary website.

Statutory Service Reductions – Share your experiences by 25 September
Further to some concerns raised by Visionary members around statutory services being reduced over coming months, with COVID-19 related budget cuts being cited as the reason, Fiona raised the issue at the Sector Response Group on 1 September 2020. Both Guide Dogs and RNIB are very keen to take this forward and would welcome involvement, participation and ideas from local organisations. To help with the process, it would be really useful to have some anonymised case studies which will be channelled through Fiona to ensure that no organisation is identified unless they wish that to be the case. If you have any examples of services being under threat, in particular rehab services, please email Fiona with a summary by Friday 25th September.

It’s all about the money

Online fundraising
In the middle of a global pandemic and with a global economic recession, Joe Biden’s US Presidential campaign fundraising smashed all records in August, raising $US364.5 million and proving that people will still give to a cause they care about. Taking a closer look at the figures, 57% of the money came from online, small-dollar donors and of more than 4 million donors, 1.5 million were first-time givers.

The Directory of Social Change can’t promise you’ll go full Biden, but they can give you the tools to kick start your digital and community fundraising, as well as the resources to go after the bigger grants. Checkout their fundraising courses and range of books.

You don’t have to be a big charity to attract the big legacy gifts
With more and more charities being named in Wills each year, no charity is too small to have a legacy strategy in place. But where do you start? See more at Civil Society.

Just one in five charities fully comply with rules on fundraising reporting
Just one in five charities (21%) include all the required information about fundraising in their annual reports, research from the Fundraising Regulator has found. See more at Civil Society.

Furlough scheme update
Just a reminder that from 1 September, employers have to pay employee’s National Insurance and pension contributions (for hours not worked and hours worked, if any), as well as paying employees for any hours they work. During September, the government will pay 70% of furloughed employees wages up to a cap of £2,500 for hours not worked. Summary at Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Funding Talk: What’s next for the National Lottery Community Fund & 48/48, 16 September 2020, 6pm to 7pm
What’s next for the National Lottery Community Fund and find out about 48 in 48 and how you can get a free website built. This week we have Lara Rufus from The National Lottery Community Fund speaking about the Lottery’s future plans. Register here.

We are also delighted to say that we are working with 48 in 48 who are an American not for profit made up of IT and marketing experts. For the last few years they have run a series of face-to-face events in London to build 48 websites for 48 small charities in 48 hours. We have been contacted by them to identify 5 UK based charities to participate in the next session (online) in October. Sima Parekh , Executive Director to also talk more about the offer. To get involved you will need to register your charity (only registered charities are eligible) and commit to undertaking 6 hours of preparation work in advance of the session in October. You will be guided through this by 48 in 48 who will ask you to complete this through a series of coursework assignments. The deadline for UK applications is 17 September at 5pm. If you are unable to attend the meeting, but would still like to get involved in 48 in 48 , you can complete the online registration form here.

Member Spotlight

National Eye Health Week, 21 to 27 September 2020
Message from David Cartwright, Chair of National Eye Health Week
This year National Eye Health Week (NEHW) will have a greater digital media presence and we have many exciting ideas for the week, which will provide a focus to raise awareness of the importance of eye health, the value of regular eye health checks and lifestyle factors that affect eye health. This has never been more important than now, when the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many follow up eye health investigations to be delayed and is likely to have a detrimental affect on eye health. Supporters can log into the Vision Matters website and download a range of posters, digital banners, infographics and social media assets communicating our ten best eye health habits. Thank you in advance for getting involved and using the materials in your area.
I am very happy to help in any way I can and so please get in touch if I can help by email or telephone 07581 489059.

BAME Vision Committee NEHW resource
The national BAME Vision Committee have put together some awareness raising messages to share in the run up to NEHW. Go to the Visionary website to access the messages. Feel free to use and share as widely as possible.

‘Please give me space’ launch, 22 September 2020
Visionary is supporting the ‘Please give me space’ initiative which is set to launch 22 September 2020. It has been spearheaded by the RNIB and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme and is endorsed by the cabinet office. It has been developed in response to the difficulties that many people, including those with sight loss have to endure in trying to maintain social distance. This campaign is to raise awareness that there are many reasons why someone may find it difficult and to recognise that if you see someone wearing the sign, please give them space.

We know this is a massive issue for people with sight loss. There are many free resources that you can access if you want to get involved. ‘Please give me space’ optional badges can be used to show that the carrier may have difficulties or concerns in maintaining social distancing. The digital and print badges can be used to signal to others around them that they need to pay attention and be given space. Go to the government website to find out more and to download the badge.

What ‘Please give me space’ will be doing:

  1. Sharing on their social platforms an information animation that features visual impairment as an example how challenging social distancing can be.
  2. Inviting charities to join them in the generating greater awareness and sharing with their members.
  3. Providing free training to businesses to form part of their customer service training.
  4. Providing free products to download including, posters, print out card, image for mobile phone to use as a screen saver and badge.
  5. Products to purchase from our website, lanyards, ID cards, face masks, snoods, pin badges and tabards.

If you would like to support ‘Please give me space’ and raise awareness of social distancing issue need from Charities please email Chantal Boyle with a paragraph about your charity and what services you deliver and support and include your URL and logo. Also a paragraph (on why you are supporting ‘Please give me space’ (150 words).

To help spread awareness to your members and networks ‘Please give me space’ will supply you with social posts, animation, logo imagery. You can:

  • Use your communication channels; i.e. email bulletins, charity magazines, shop outlets, social platforms etc.
  • Host ‘Please give me space’ on your website to direct your members to more information about ‘Please give me space’ who can supply the website text.

Significant burden of treatment for patients with AMD
Macular Society’s new report has revealed a high level of anxiety in patients undergoing treatment for the nation’s biggest cause of blindness. More than half of the respondents to the survey said they experienced ongoing anxiety about their treatment for ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – regardless of how long they had been receiving it for. Read more and download the report from the Visionary website.

RNIB on the ball with new range of accessible sports equipment
RNIB is encouraging more blind and partially sighted people into sport with a new range of accessible sports equipment which is available from RNIB’s online shop, just in time for the Premier League season which kicked off on Saturday 12 September. The range includes footballs that are approved by the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA), RNIB branded basketballs and a running tether for people who enjoy running with a guide. The footballs and basketballs make a rattling sound when in motion, which makes them ideal for blind and partially sighted players. Read more on the Visionary website.

Wales Council of the Blind Sight Loss Manifesto
Wales Council of the Blind (WCB) are creating a Sight Loss Manifesto and want to hear your views. Complete the survey on the WCB website.

Free webinars

Bus/mobile resource centre for sale
If you are interested in purchasing a bus/mobile resource centre, email Bob Hughes, Chief Executive of Sight for Surrey or call on 07770 346432. See the Bus sale flyer for images of the vehicle and further details.

Member vacancies
You can see all of the latest vacancies across our membership here.

HR and Health and Safety Matters

HR matters

It’s time to go back to the office – or is it?
The government is keen for desk-based workers to return, but not all employers are playing ball. People Management looks at what firms should consider before reopening their doors. This really good medium read from “People Management” is worth taking time to grab a cuppa and read through – or if you’re busy then scroll to the last two paragraphs and FAQ’s.

Alcohol and drug misuse: a health and wellbeing issue
The social and financial impact of COVID-19 is likely to leave more people vulnerable to alcohol and drug misuse. Yet, a fifth of organisations fail to offer proactive support to employees on this issue. Learn why organisations need to prioritise concerns of misuse as a health and wellbeing issue and access useful resources here at Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Supporting others through loss
The Covid-19 pandemic has been an extremely challenging time for those working in the care and nursing care home sector – we know for sure it has been from talking to several Visionary members who run such provision. And with many of our service users also been elderly and potentially at high-risk then many other members have lost service users they’ve often spent years working with. Sharon Allen, Chief Executive of Arthur Rank Hospice, shares some guidance on how we can support colleagues through their experiences of loss and help to build important relationships for the future. Read more here at The King’s Fund.

1 hour of free HR advice for Visionary members delivered by Roots HR CIC
The service, provided by their team of fully qualified and experienced chartered consultants, is offered from 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank and public holidays). Visionary member organisations can arrange to use their 1 hour of free HR advice by phoning Roots HR on 01562 840060 or emailing hello@rootshr.org.uk

Health and Safety matters

Sighted Guiding – RNIB, Guide Dogs and Thomas Pocklington Trust
This document outlines the principles for all blind and partially sighted individuals who require sighted guiding assistance, and has been developed in partnership by RNIB, Guide Dogs and Thomas Pocklington Trust.

Supporting people outside of their home
This government guidance is for people who need support outside their home and people who provide this support.

Safe use of multi-purpose community facilities
This government guidance is for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities such as community centres, village halls etc.

Free Health and Safety support for Visionary members
We have secured the services of Health and Safety specialists Ambeck Associates, in particular Carl Harrison, to provide Visionary members with Health and Safety support and a document/procedure review service. Please note that this service has a specific COVID-19 focus and where the advisor feels that you may need more general Health and Safety advice/support they will discuss that directly with you. All matters discussed via this advice service remain confidential between the enquirer and Health and Safety advisor. Visionary will only monitor the use of the service in respect of number and subject areas of enquiries to ensure fair use and to develop further areas of support. To access the support contact Ambeck Associates directly 01257 230584 / 07983 720208 or email.

Sharing the love

Deadline extended – 2021 GSK IMPACT Awards: funding for health charities
The closing date for the 2021 GSK IMPACT Awards is fast approaching – but has been extended to 10am on Monday 21 September. Winning organisations will receive core funding of up to £40,000 plus access to excellent training and development to support their leaders. Details are on the King’s Fund.

British Blind Sport find the top three reasons for taking part in physical activity as “being healthy”, “feeling good” and “enjoyment” in latest Impact Report for 2019
British Blind Sport (BBS) has released its 2019 Impact Report, focusing on the developments and results the charity saw throughout last year. BBS saw its membership grow to 1217 people by the end of 2019, with 59% of those being under 18 years of age. During 2019, the charity processed 260 sight classifications across the UK, to enable people to take part in competitive sport. The report shows that, during 2019, the most popular reasons for taking part in physical activity were being healthy, feeling good and enjoyment. The report also showed that 78% of BBS members were meeting the Chief Medical Officers recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Find out more and download the 2019 Impact Report from the Visionary website.

In the know

Charity Commission launches new online register
Start of September the Charity Commission launched its new online register of charities, which includes more details with the aim of increasing transparency. Check out how your charity appears in the new format here.

Good governance helps good stuff get done…..
“Change the World…deliver good governance.” Not exactly a slogan to set the pulse racing, is it? But “Change the World…eradicate sight loss/poverty/modern slavery/sexual abuse/famine/disease”? Now you’re talking! But the reality is that the better a charity is run, the more effective it will be in doing the things it was set up to do in the first place. Read more at Civil Society.

Government saw charities as ‘an irrelevance’ early in pandemic
The government viewed the charity sector as “an irrelevance” during the Covid-19 crisis, according to NCVO chief executive Karl Wilding. Speaking at the Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research online conference, Wilding also said that he had sometimes been “a bit embarrassed” by the speed with which businesses had been able to respond to the impact of the pandemic compared to charities. Read more at Civil Society.

 

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