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Chair’s Statement What a great year we have had in Catholic Blind Institute. The progress and renewal of our community has been immense. I'm confident that as you read the reports this year from Christopher Grange, St Vincent’s School and the Visual Rehabilitation Centre you will be proud of our work enabled and supported by your connection to our long established and well managed charity. I am always humbled by you support and trust our actions will convince you to continue this long into the future: you are the force that binds our community together. 2005 opened with a decision by the Board to seek to build a new school for St Vincent’s. In a few short years this will provide a state of the art school for our children. We know there are many hurdles yet to be jumped and hoops to be gone through but we are confident that with your continuing support, financial and prayerful, we will achieve our dream for the children. In doing this we are sharing, developing and renewing the vision of our predecessors whilst striving for future excellence. Progress and renewal. The Board also appointed its first Chief executive (Martin Sandeman) who will be key to ensuring our dreams and ambitions as a Board are turned into reality whilst at Christopher Grange the Board restructured the staffing and appointed Sr. Barbara to the post of Director of Services, Christopher Grange and Maureen Denning was appointed to Residential Care Manager. Michael Hobbs was appointed Fundraiser and you will hear more of and from him in the future. We wish them well in their drive to improve services still further. This demonstrates clearly our intent to modernise the charity through change, through development and renewal of our own community. Progress and renewal. In another first Bishop Thomas Williams accepted our invitation to become the first Patron of the Charity. We all warmly welcome Bishop Tom to this new post even though he is already well known by all sections of our Charity. Fr. Jim Hayes, our Chaplin at Christopher Grange, started his retirement this year and the Board is very grateful for his devoted service there over the last 6 years. His successor will be Fr Gerard Snape whom we warmly welcome to our community. Progress and renewal. Finally, I offer my personal thanks to my fellow Board members for their help and support throughout the year whilst on their behalf of I offer an especial thanks to the CBI officers, to Staff at Christopher Grange and at St. Vincent's School for the dedicated work at the front line of our services. Without that dedication we would be little more than a group of people with good intent: we are proud to be part of a community which, with your help, turns that intent into practical action for those in need.
Stephen Boyes General Secretary & Treasurer’s Report Our financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2006 show a healthy increase in the net funds of the charity of over £721,000, an increase of 11% over the previous year (2006: £6.92 million; 2005: £6.20 million). However, only £160,000 of this increase flows from operations; the balance being an increase in the valuation of our investments arising from a recovery in world stock markets. This portfolio of investments is our safety net, as well as providing us with an additional source of income, in the form of interest and dividends, of £101,854 (2005: £98,623) during the year. Without that portfolio, our surplus for the year would show a mere £58,000 (2005: £39,000). When you consider that legacy income during the year was in excess of £305,000 (2005: £80,276), it becomes instantly apparent that our charity’s operations are loss-making and considerably more so than in the previous year. We could not continue with our charitable activities in their current form without the generosity of benefactors and the prudent actions of trustees from earlier years. Of course, that is the nature of a charity. It is not a profit-making organisation. Catholic Blind Institute, as a charity, offers services to the elderly and those with sight disabilities. Whilst the basic services that we offer – education and care of the elderly – should be fully funded by the State, the reality is that they are not. The continuing under-funding, particularly in the pitiable level of nursing and residential care fees paid by Liverpool City Council, means that we are reliant on other sources of funding to continue providing the services that we do. As a charity, we can provide enhanced services that profit-making organisations cannot. However, it is a fact that State under-funding has necessarily restricted the added services that we could have provided if we had been able to apply all charitable donations to providing enhanced services to the visually impaired. As always, we are very grateful for the generosity of so many people who have provided us with additional funds during the year, either through their fundraising efforts or their personal generosity. This year we have benefited particularly from bequests in wills and the trustees would like to encourage all our supporters to remember the charity when writing their wills. It is only through the generosity of our benefactors that we are able to continue the services we provide to the visually impaired. Thank you for your continuing support.
FAITH IN RENEWAL Christopher Grange opened in 1972 so for the 35th time “we come to share our story” with those who have supported us over the years, those who continue to support us and who enable us to change and develop and renew ourselves as an organisation committed to people. We believe we offer an outstanding service to all our residents, those in residential care, those in nursing care and those who are in need of palliative care but we also recognise the need to continue to reflect on the quality of this service. It has become clear that our staff are our greatest resource a fact recognised by the award from the Investors In People back in 2005. This was reinforced In March 2006 when our Inspectors from CSCI wrote in their report that they had observed “residents being supported in a calm and professional manner”. Residents and visitors comment on how kind and helpful the staff are and how they treat people with respect. Comments such as these affirm the staff and show them how much they are valued. At Christmas, the Trustees showed their recognition and belief in the staff by rewarding them with a bonus as a way of saying “thank you”. Change and renewal is everywhere in the house. Maureen Denning was appointed as Residential Manager and Sr. Barbara was appointed Director of Services, thereby maintaining overall responsibility for Christopher Grange. Staff training remains a prime concern. NVQ training is ongoing at various levels and new staff now have a trained mentor. Changes in Rhona House have brought new nurses and care staff providing fresh ideas and new possibilities. A good relationship with the Marie Curie Centre has been established and with their liaison, we have been able to offer our palliative care residents a greater understanding and improved service. Our Pastoral Team continue to develop and a new bereavement service for staff and families is planned. Christopher Grange continuously strives to provide a pleasant and homely an environment for residents and families. Trustees have funded some major refurbishments and Managers continue to raise funds to provide any extras needed on their unit. The lounge in Rhona House, the refurbishment of some rooms, painting of the corridors and the addition of new garden furniture have all added to homeliness. The garden has become a quiet space for residents and families to enjoy. New bedding, chairs and walk-in showers have made a real difference to the daily lives of our residents. Ongoing decoration and main kitchen refurbishment complete a busy picture. Future plans include the possible renewal of the laundry and double glazing to residents’ rooms. All this is achievable only with the ongoing generosity of our trustees and benefactors helping us to improve the quality of life for our residents. Whilst we value tradition, change and renewal are part of our heritage. Christopher Taylor built Christopher Grange wanting something new and beautiful. He asked Sr. Joanna Dineen to go to the USA to find the “very best for our residents”. Recently, 3 members of staff and two residents travelled to London to attend Sr. Joanna’s funeral. They went in order to pay tribute to a great lady who believed that this was God’s work in which each of us is privileged to take part. Christopher Taylor and Sr. Joanna will always be a part of the continuing story of Christopher Grange – a story of faith in life and in people; a story of love that endures for ever. Rehabilitation and Education Report FAITH IN RENEWAL Since September 2005 the Visual Rehabilitation Centre has undergone a number of changes that have served to invigorate and revitalise. The two new staff members have made a huge contribution to a renewed cohesion between all the staff at the Centre. Teamwork is more and more a reality and the beneficiaries are the clients of the Centre. The change in the structure and type of courses offered has contributed to a feeling of positive change. The centre has moved away from the Education and Resource Centre model and now has a renewed focus on Rehabilitation for visually impaired adults. The Rehabilitation Centre now provides a fully interactive daily living skills programme that provides our visually impaired clients with the necessary skills and confidence to live their daily lives more fully and to achieve their goals in spite of their sight loss. We have modernised and improved the Rehabilitation training kitchen in order to provide our clients with the best possible environment to renew their skills. We are also modernising the “tea bar” in the main hall of the Rehab Centre. An increase in referrals from Liverpool Voluntary Society for the Blind (LVSB) has also given our staff a renewed vigour and confidence in the future of the Rehabilitation Centre. There is also an open and honest relationship between the staff of LVSB and Christopher Grange which brings benefits to the clients and staff of both organisations. All in all the Rehabilitation Centre has changed considerably over the past year. All the changes have brought new life, have contributed to a renewed focus on Rehabilitation at the Centre and created a more positive and forward thinking attitude amongst the staff. We will continue to move forward and renew the Centre in order to give the best possible service to our clients. We believe in ourselves and we believe in our clients! St Vincent’s School The school year 2005/2006 has been a landmark year for the school. In 1901 St Vincent’s opened as a school on its current site, with a state of the art provision for the education of blind and partially sighted young people. In the Spring term of 2006 the Trustees agreed in principle to action the building of a new St Vincent’s, to provide a state of the art provision for the 21st century to ensure the continuation of a proven quality provision, and as a measure of the commitment of the Trustees to the school, that it will continue to deliver education for blind and partially sighted young people for the next 100 years. In that period since its opening, St Vincent’s has witnessed many changes and developments in the provision of education for blind and partially sighted and has often been at the forefront of those developments. This proposed new build is a measure of the Trustees commitment to ensure that St Vincent’s remains in the vanguard of the development of future provision for the blind and partially sighted at a time of significant educational change and challenge. In the course of the last school year, we have had a run of inspections from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), Commission for Social Care (CSCI), and the Diocesan Inspectorate, all of whom found the school to be, “a good school, with many outstanding features”. This gives a clear and objective affirmation of the quality service that the school delivers to all of its pupils, and the 23 local education authorities that we currently serve. Towards the end of the Summer Term we will say farewell to 12 of our pupils as they move on to further education opportunities in a variety of college settings. We also say goodbye to Sr Theresa, who has been Head of Service (Residential & Buildings) for the last four year, and to whom we owe significant credit for the most positive Care reports we have achieved over that period. Whilst St Theresa will be missed by all of us at St Vincent’s, we wish her every success in her continuing vocation as a Daughter of Charity. It is that commitment to her vocation that takes her away from St Vincent’s, a commitment for which we have enormous respect and admiration. The vocational aspect as a Daughter of Charity has given the school a significant ‘added value’ in the time that she has been with us. As we move in to the future and continue to take the school forward, we encounter challenges that are not always easy, but necessary to endure and overcome, to ensure the provision of first class education and care for our young people. As we move through this period of renewal, we must take strength in the faith upon which the school has been established as identified in our Mission Statement: “Inspired by the example of St Vincent, we work together in a safe and caring atmosphere, where a high standard of education and care are provided."We encourage a sense of achievement, self-worth, moral responsibility and mutual respect, honouring all faith traditions and beliefs. Each one of us in our community is special and unique. Gifts and talents are valued and nurtured through all our work. "We are outward looking in our approach to the wider educational and social community, and we encourage all our young people to become independent and to integrate fully into society.” To this end we are currently in the process of a significant review of the curriculum provision, from the foundation stage, to beyond Key Stage 4, to ensure that we are delivering an appropriate curriculum for a clientele with a wider range of special need, in addition to visual impairment. This process has been introduced and embedded in the foundation and primary phase in the course of the year, together with the post 16. September will see this process commenced with Key Stage 4 and embedded in the course of the year.
Financial Review
Overall
Expenditure
Income
The
accounts of the Institute conform to the Statement of
Recommended Practice 2005. Achievements from fundraising Fundraising is an essential way of financing voluntary works. Whilst the statutory agencies largely underpin the basic costs of care, they cannot add the extras that help make residential living truly a home from home experience. The Catholic Blind Institute is continuously financing additions and improvements to care but running expenses always outstrip general income. Fundraising is therefore crucial to providing enjoyable rather than acceptable standards. In recent times fundraising has helped with:
and so the list goes on. Some seem minor or even ordinary and not at all glamorous, but who would not wish to see residents and pupils enjoy these facilities? Fundraising is rarely glamorous, it is mostly plain hard work, but it is rewarding and always welcome. Donations or legacies of any kind or size are always most welcome and much appreciated. In addition the Catholic Blind Institute has received a grant from European Social Fund for ‘Life Skills 4 Visually Impaired’ project which will provide research to establish the proportion of visually impaired men and women economically inactive in the North West, and seek to identify, develop and implement strategies to overcome barriers to participation. The Catholic Blind Institute would also like to thank the following organisations which have assisted in the purchase of small items of equipment: BBC Radio
Merseyside Charitable Trust |