Finance Score: 2

Governance Score: 3

Support Score: 8

Liabilities <10%: +3
Accounts filed more than 5 days late: -2 times
Multiple Deficits: -2
Fundraising costs low: +3

Gender balanced board: +3

Grant maker support: +8

Overall GiG Score: 13

MERTON VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND

providing services for people with a visual impairment

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

This charity has a robust balance sheet
Spending has increased over the last 3 years relative to the previous period
Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender

Financial issues to consider:

Accounts have been filed late on 2 occasions over the last 5 years and the current period appears to have been extended
On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?

Sources of Income ?

Y/E		Income £k	Spending £k	Surplus/ Deficit	Fundraising Cost £k	Total Funds £k	Unrestricted Funds £k	Mths Rsrvs	Staff	Volun- teers
31/03/23	*	£507	£437	£70	£0	£586	£499	13.7	15	30
31/03/22	*	£291	£354	£-62	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	16
31/03/21		£394	£360	£33	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	27
31/03/20		£343	£394	£-52	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	44
31/03/19		£333	£354	£-21	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	46
31/03/18		£312	£309	£3	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/17		£326	£316	£11	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/16		£353	£357	£-4	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/15		£376	£379	£-3	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/14		£401	£391	£10	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/13		£431	£398	£33	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/12		£393	£375	£18	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/11		£486	£360	£126	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/10		£407	£358	£49	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/09		£381	£367	£14	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/08		£333	£338	£-5	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/07		£351	£300	£51	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/06		£340	£280	£60	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/05		£263	£253	£11	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/04		£241	£218	£23	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

Show more rows -->

Show financials table -->

Download accounts

Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0.1%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 3%
Liabilities/Income: 3%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 85%
Reserves/Spending: 13.7 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 14 months
Quick Ratio: 29.2

Asset Split ?

Established: 25 years

www.mertonvision.org.uk

info@mertonvision.org.uk

02085405446

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Listed activities

Disability
Education/Training
General Charitable Purposes

GiG Classification

Services for people with disabilities

How it operates

Makes Grants to Individuals
Provides advocacy/advice/information
Provides services

Where it operates

Merton,

Who it helps

Children/Young People
Elderly/Old People
People With Disabilities

Who works here?

15 employees
30 volunteers

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years

National Lottery Community Fund	£392,157
Vision Foundation	£90,000
The Wimbledon Foundation	£10,000
The London Community Foundation	£9,997
DCMS	£9,389

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
National Lottery Community Fund - Keeping our Community Connected
£10,000	13/01/2023	The funding will be used to extend the hours of the groups facilitator to support people who are visually impaired. The project aims to maintain low levels of isolation within the community and ....more The funding will be used to extend the hours of the groups facilitator to support people who are visually impaired. The project aims to maintain low levels of isolation within the community and support positive mental health and wellbeing.
National Lottery Community Fund - Reaching Out To Give Back Control
£363,509	25/02/2022	The project is using funding to employ three new staff to increase their capacity to deliver outreach volunteering and IT support to visually impaired service-users living in Merton and surrounding ....more The project is using funding to employ three new staff to increase their capacity to deliver outreach volunteering and IT support to visually impaired service-users living in Merton and surrounding areas. The new roles will develop and manage the programme of volunteering which will increase capacity for service delivery and their ability to respond to increased levels of demand. They will work alongside the IT Support Worker and Outreach Worker to ensure there is a multi-faceted approach to reaching as many people as possible and matching volunteers based on their skills to appropriate roles.
National Lottery Community Fund - No one is alone
£9,940	24/09/2021	The funding will be used to continue the groups delivery of support for people living with a visual impairment. The project aims to bring people together reduce isolation and improve mental health.
The Wimbledon Foundation - Holiday activities for VI children and young people
£5,000	18/06/2021	School holiday sports and activities for around 20 Visually Impaired children and young people
The London Community Foundation - Grant to MertonVision
£9,997	05/08/2020	Providing a specialist counselling service from an empathetic visual impairment background to tackle the growing feelings of anxiety and depression our service users are experiencing brought on from ....more Providing a specialist counselling service from an empathetic visual impairment background to tackle the growing feelings of anxiety and depression our service users are experiencing brought on from Covid19 isolation which is directly blamed on their visual impairment. In addition, the worry from fall out after lock down is over.
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£9,389	31/07/2020	"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more "The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to operate, thereby reducing the burden on public services.2) To ensure essential services are provided to vulnerable people, both in the short and long term through increased community support through the work of charitable organisations."
The Wimbledon Foundation - Covid-19 Voluntary Support Service
£5,000	03/06/2020	Preventing isolation, loneliness and promoting well-being for visually impaired people living in Merton.
National Lottery Community Fund - Merton Vision Covid Response
£8,708	15/05/2020 6	The funding will be used to increase the capacity of a volunteer co-ordinator to support people who are blind and living with a visual impairment. The project aims to support the health and ....more The funding will be used to increase the capacity of a volunteer co-ordinator to support people who are blind and living with a visual impairment. The project aims to support the health and well-being of service users.
Vision Foundation - Transition grant offered at end of membership structure
£90,000	11/03/2020	Transition grant offered at end of membership structure (core funding for 3 years)
Vision Foundation - Greater London Fund for the Blind Member 2019-2020
£22,400	01/04/2019 12	Greater London Fund for the Blind, member distribution 2019-2020 (core funding)

Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (8)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 58-80

FRANCESCA HIBBERT Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Retired

RUTH BOWMAN Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Lead Teacher For Children With A Visual Impairment

FRANCINE PUGH Appointed: 2015, Occupation: Retired

HARRY COWD (Chair) Appointed: 1999, Occupation: Tretired Head Teacher, Other trusteeship: THE ST JOHN THE DIVINE KENNINGTON PASTORAL TRUST,

SIMON COATES Appointed: 2010, Occupation: Retired

STEVEN MOORE Appointed: 2009, Occupation: Retired Accountant

VALERIE MORRISON Appointed: 2011, Occupation: None

WAYNE BUSBRIDGE Appointed: 2008, Occupation: None

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 07/05/1999, number: 1075388
Registered at Companies House on 23/04/1999, number: 03758661

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Filing Record

20 returns made; AR23: 19 days late, AR22: 50 days late,

Main office

MERTONVISION
67 CLARENDON ROAD
LONDON
SW19 2DX

Objectives

.1 THE OBJECTS FOR WHICH THE CHARITY IS ESTABLISHED ARE TO GRANT ASSISTANCE TO ALL BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE AND TO HEARING IMPAIRED PEOPLE ORDINARILY RESIDENT IN THE LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON AND IF THE TRUSTEES SO DETERMINE ELSEWHERE IN ENGLAND AND WALES. IN THESE OBJECTS BLIND SHALL INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO THOUGH NOT TOTALLY BLIND, ARE PARTIALLY OR INTERMITTENTLY DEPRIVED OF SIGHT OR ARE AT RISK OF BLINDNESS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON

Data Sources