Finance Score: -5

Governance Score: 6

Support Score: 9

Multiple Deficits and declines: -5
No PartB

Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3

Large volunteers +3
Grant maker support: +6

Overall GiG Score: 10

SIGHTLINE VISION (NORTH WEST) LIMITED

Sightline provides a free confidential telephone befriending service for visually impaired people (befriendees). Sightline focuses its service delivery in England and Wales. The service is delivered by a team of trained volunteers (befrienders), many of whom are themselves visually impaired. A befriendee is matched to a befriender who then have a weekly chat at a date/time that suits both parties.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

This charity has been successful in attracting volunteers relative to its size
A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Financial issues to consider:

A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data
Income has been volatile and on several occasions in recent years 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
31/12/23		£66	£83	£-17	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	73
31/12/22		£89	£82	£8	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	45
31/12/21		£79	£68	£11	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	37
31/12/20		£28	£46	£-18	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	38
31/12/19		£44	£61	£-17	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	23
31/12/18		£85	£83	£2	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/17		£102	£72	£30	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/16		£44	£40	£3	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/15	*	£50	£64	£-13	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/14		£73	£74	£-1	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/13		£92	£66	£26	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/12		£44	£57	£-13	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/11		£63	£57	£7	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/10		£70	£63	£7	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/09		£52	£43	£10	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/08		£30	£39	£-8	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/07		£29	£35	£-6	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/06		£32	£30	£2	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/05		£26	£24	£2	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/04		£34	£16	£19	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

Show more rows -->

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Download accounts

Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000

Established: 21 years

www.sightline.org.uk

info@sightline.org.uk

0800 587 2252

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Listed activities

Disability
General Charitable Purposes
The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives

GiG Classification

Sports activities

How it operates

Provides advocacy/advice/information
Provides human resources
Provides services

Where it operates

Throughout England And Wales,

Who it helps

Children/Young People
Elderly/Old People
People With Disabilities
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

Unknown number of employees
73 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	£199,371
DCMS	£19,000
Masonic Trust	£10,500

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Masonic Trust - MCF Small Grant
£10,500	24/10/2022	Unrestricted core funding for small charities
National Lottery Community Fund - Befriending Service
£199,371	11/12/2020 35	The organisation offers support for blind and partially sighted people. Funding will go towards their telephone befriending service which aims to reduce feelings isolation and loneliness.
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£19,000	25/06/2020	"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."
National Lottery Community Fund - Sightline Vision North West
£272,700	23/03/2016 36	A project to expand volunteering befriending opportunities and a helpline service for people who have a visual impairment (VI) including those experiencing sudden or gradual loss of sight. The scheme ....more A project to expand volunteering befriending opportunities and a helpline service for people who have a visual impairment (VI) including those experiencing sudden or gradual loss of sight. The scheme will provide increased support and signposting, giving practical and emotional help on issues such as loneliness, bereavement, loss, anxiety, stress, depression as well as practical support on tips for day to day living skills.
National Lottery Community Fund - Sightline Vision North West
£190,540	18/04/2012 48	The continuation and expansion of an existing project by Sightline Vision North West (SVNW) that supports visually impaired (VI) people, especially those who experience the trauma of sudden or ....more The continuation and expansion of an existing project by Sightline Vision North West (SVNW) that supports visually impaired (VI) people, especially those who experience the trauma of sudden or progressive sight loss, and their family and friends. It provides a free telephone helpline, staffed by volunteers who understand the issues through personal experience.
National Lottery Community Fund - Sightline Training for Visually Impaired Volunteers
£10,000	05/05/2011 12	This is a project by an incorporated charity in Liverpoo to offer counselling training to volunteers on its advice line service. This will enable the group to offer a more tailored service to people ....more This is a project by an incorporated charity in Liverpoo to offer counselling training to volunteers on its advice line service. This will enable the group to offer a more tailored service to people with visual impairments by improving volunteers' understanding of issues faced by people with visual impairments. The award includes funding for sessional tutors, venue hire, and transport.

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (5)

Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 46-76

HASANGA PARKINSON Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Chief Operating Officer

CAROLE HOLMES MBE Appointed: 2021

PETER ARNOLD HOWARD (Chair) Appointed: 2015, Occupation: Retired

PETER WILLIAM BOOTH Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Retired

ANTHONY VICTOR KIMPTON Appointed: 2015, Occupation: Retired, Other trusteeship: GALLOWAY'S SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND,

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 11/03/2003, number: 1096452
Registered at Companies House on 18/12/2002, number: 04620457

Gift Aid

NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Filing Record

20 returns made; AR15: 32 days late,

Main office

HOWICK HOUSE
HOWICK PARK AVENUE
PENWORTHAM
PRESTON
PR1 0LS

Objectives

THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE THE RELIEF OF PERSONS WHO ARE BLIND OR SUFFER VISUAL IMPAIRMENT BY THE PROVISION OF A BEFRIENDING AND SUPPORT SERVICES AND IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT SO AS TO TO LIMIT THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING THE PROVISION OF A TELEPHONE HELPLINE SERVICE FOR THOSE RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH SERIOUS VISUAL IMPAIRMENT.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED.

Data Sources