Finance Score: -6
Governance Score: 6
Support Score: 8
  • Excess reserves: -2
  • Income diversified: +3
  • Multiple Deficits: -2
  • Fundraising costs high: -5
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +8
Overall GiG Score: 8 ?

BEACON CENTRE FOR THE BLIND

Domiciliary care is provided for up to 71 elderly blind and partially sighted persons. Up to 400 blind and partially sighted persons attend our Day Centre each week to participate in stimulating and therapeutic activities. We provide Community Services to blind and partially sighted persons residing in the Midlands area. We facilitate employment opportunities for visually impaired people.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Income generation is well diversified
  • 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 and dynamic in terms of composition

Financial issues to consider:

  • This charity has substantial assets and unrestricted reserves of £5,651,000 available, equivalent to 24 months of spending and so may not be able to utilise additional funding
  • On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending
  • Fundraising costs are extremely high relative to funds raised

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£2,503£2,812£-309£1,132£6,508£5,65124.1105220
31/03/22£2,191£2,610£-418£1,080£7,316£6,53330105291
31/03/21£2,279£2,577£-298£1,021£7,562£6,75831.5118232
31/03/20£2,329£3,511£-1,183£845£7,172£6,38221.8141298
31/03/19£2,316£3,200£-884£845£8,518£7,62628.698252
31/03/18£2,724£3,027£-303£629£9,216£8,24232.71260
31/03/17£2,717£2,731£-13£537£9,518£8,44437.1780
31/03/16£2,428£2,684£-257£494£8,924£7,88035.2730
31/03/15£2,540£2,472£68£614£9,500£8,64342640
31/03/14£2,466£2,413£53£575£9,060£8,18140.7700
31/03/13£2,181£2,414£-233£588£8,669£7,77038.6730
31/03/12£2,191£2,481£-290£885£8,513£7,57036.6820
31/03/11£2,178£2,360£-182£802£8,888£7,90340.2790
31/03/10£2,023£2,296£-273£817£8,712£7,66040710
31/03/09£2,863£3,352£-489£908£7,985£7,11425.5830
31/03/08£3,071£2,204£867£833£4,664£3,87721.1770
31/03/07£2,294£2,177£116£592£3,944£3,66720.2830
31/03/06£2,238£2,393£-155n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/05£2,172£2,319£-148n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/04*£1,943£2,129£-186n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 81%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 41.1%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 3%
Highest pay band: £60,000-£70,000
Liabilities/Assets: 11%
Liabilities/Income: 31%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 87%
Reserves/Spending: 24.1 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 2 months
Quick Ratio: 0.9
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 61 years
(62 years as a company)

www.beaconvision.org

enquiries@beaconvision.org

01902 880111

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Amateur Sport
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
  • Disability
  • Economic/Community Development/Employment
  • Education/Training
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • Other Charitable Purposes
  • Recreation
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
GiG Classification
  • Blind people
How it operates
  • Makes grants to individuals
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides buildings/facilities/open space
  • Provides human resources
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Dudley, Sandwell, Staffordshire, Wolverhampton,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years
National Lottery Community Fund£439,406
DCMS£127,510
Vision Foundation£16,394
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Vision Foundation - Domestic Violence and Abuse Accessible Support Network
£16,394 08/03/2023
6
Our project will transform the support offered to visually impaired people who are victims or survivors of domestic abuse. Led by West Midlands sight loss charity, the Beacon Centre, in partnership with local community housing provider and domestic ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - A Coronation Celebration for the sight loss community
£900 03/03/2023
The funding will be used to celebrate King Charles III's coronation through inclusive events and activities for the blind and partially sighted. The project aims to bring people together foster friendships reduce isolation and provide an accessible ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Seeing Beyond Sight Loss
£438,506 17/02/2023
This funding will be used to further develop an engagement pathway for people suffering from sight loss. The project aims to target communities predominantly in Wolverhampton Dudley and parts of South Staffordshire creating local hubs to provide ....more
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£127,510 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 operate, thereby reducing the burden on public ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Strategic Brand Development
£10,000 02/08/2019
12
The funding will be used to carry out a consultation and business review exercise. The project aims to establish the needs of people with sight loss and improve the organisation's services to local people with visual impairments.
National Lottery Community Fund - Pathway to Reablement
£304,816 13/07/2016
59
This is the continuation and development of an existing project that provides a tailored structured programme to re-enable those living with a visual impairment to acquire the skills and confidence needed to live independently, become work ready and ....more
Sport England - Beacon Centre Goalball Club
£8,471 12/03/2014
Funding under Sport England's Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled 'Beacon Centre Goalball Club'. This project is a Goalball project, with a focus on beneficiaries with a disability.
National Lottery Community Fund - Beacon 4 Work
£198,907 10/05/2011
60
The aim of the project is to help unemployed visually impaired people in the Black Country to find work by improving their skills and increasing employment opportunities by tackling stigma and working with local employers. One to one support will be ....more
Sport England - Beacon Centre Goalball Club
£9,802 18/04/2011
Funding under Sport England's Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled 'Beacon Centre Goalball Club'. This project lists its main activity as Goalball.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (9)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 54-77
  • BETHAN SIAN WYNN-WILLIAMS Appointed: 2021, Occupation: None
  • CLIVE JAMES SMALL Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Retired
  • IAN BOWERS Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Retired
  • JEANETTE SUWE Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Retired
  • KAREN ANN SCOTT Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Retired
  • KATHRYN ELIZABETH ROPER Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Retired
  • PHILIP TURNER Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Financial Controller
  • RICHARD JONATHAN ENNIS Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Solicitor
  • SHARON SCOTT PHILLIPS Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Project Manager
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 06/03/1964, number: 216092
  • Registered at Companies House on 08/12/1961, number: 00710129
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Other Regulators
  • Care Quality Commission
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
  • Investment
  • 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
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR04: 24 days late,
Main office

BEACON CENTRE FOR THE BLIND
WOLVERHAMPTON ROAD EAST
WOLVERHAMPTON
WV4 6AZ

Objectives

TO PROMOTE THE RELIEF OF BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH DISABILITIES OTHER THAN BLINDNESS OR DEFECTIVE VISION AND WHO ARE RESIDENT FROM TIME TO TIME IN THE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF WOLVERHAMPTON, THE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF DUDLEY, THE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF SANDWELL OR THE COUNTY OF STAFFORDSHIRE OR SUCH OTHER AREAS AS THE CHARITY MAY FROM TIME TO TIME CONSIDER APPROPRIATE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF DUDLEY, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF SANDWELL, COUNTY OF STAFFORDSHIRE OR SUCH OTHER AREAS CONSIDERED APPROPRIATE

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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