Annual review - RNIB

Annual review
2011/2012
Our impact, your stories,
our thanks

79 per cent of
blind and partially
sighted people
have difficulty
identifying food
and medicine
labels.
2

Contents
Introduction 5
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily 10
Supporting independent living 16
Creating an inclusive society 24
Thank you 30
A brief look at our finances 38
How you can help 41
Your audio CD 43
The photograph on the cover was taken at our Sunshine
House School. The residential service at the school
was this year graded “Outstanding” by Ofsted. All of
the photographs in this review are of our members,
supporters or the people with sight problems we have
supported during the year.
3

43 per cent of
blind and partially
sighted people
would like to
leave the house
more often.
4

Introduction
This has been an incredibly challenging
year for us as a charity and more
importantly for blind and partially
sighted people across the UK. But
despite the real problems that cuts to
income and services are causing, we are
still very proud of the impact that our
staff and supporters have achieved this
year for people with and at risk of
sight loss.
Kevin Carey, RNIB Group Chair
and Lesley-Anne Alexander CBE,
RNIB Group Chief Executive
We began the year by empowering blind and partially sighted people to voice
their fears as part of the Hardest Hit campaign to tackle the potential impact of
the Welfare Reform Bill on their lives. This campaign contributed to a notable
success in the reversal of the government’s proposed changes to Disability Living
Allowance (DLA) which would have had a devastating impact on blind and partially
sighted people in residential care. However, as the year draws to a close our
attention is focused on the proposed change from DLA to Personal Independence
Payment (PIP) in 2013. According to the government’s own figures, about half a
million people would lose their entitlement altogether as DLA is replaced by PIP.
Others will qualify for a lower rate than they currently receive.
Introduction
5

The criteria for the new benefit fail to recognise that sight loss is a serious
disability and that you face extensive extra costs if you can’t see, and that these
are ongoing. This will hit blind and partially sighted people particularly hard and
we will campaign tirelessly to ensure that their quality of life is not reduced by
proposed welfare changes that are unfair.
In November three of our residential services working to improve the quality of life
for blind and partially sighted children and young people received “Outstanding”
grades following Ofsted inspections. These fantastic
achievements at RNIB Sunshine House Children’s
Home, RNIB Pears Centre Children’s Home and The
Stan Bell Centre at RNIB College Loughborough
demonstrate our continued commitment to delivering
exemplary education and care services for children and
young people with complex needs that make a real
difference to their lives and the lives of their families.
Our work for young people also achieved a positive
outcome when Ofqual (the exams regulator) ruled
that children could use specially adapted computers
in exams if they can’t read braille or large print – a
huge step in allowing many blind and partially sighted
Three of our
residential services
for blind and
partially sighted
children received
“outstanding”
grades following
Ofsted inspections.
children to have the same access to qualifications as their sighted peers as they
build an independent future for themselves.
Our campaigning for financial independence for those with sight loss has been
tremendously successful this year. Our work to persuade banks to provide talking
cash machines has resulted in Barclays committing to rolling them out in the next
year, and Lloyds Banking Group have committed to make their ATMs talk and will
be targeting 1,500 machines in 2013. This commitment will work across all their
6
Introduction

ands which include Halifax,
Bank of Scotland and Lloyds
TSB. These changes will enable
more blind and partially sighted
people to access and manage
their own money independently.
We ran our first ever “Switch
on to technology” month this
year to provide more blind and
partially sighted people with
the opportunity to get to grips
with new technology such as
computers, eBooks and smart
phones and to learn how to
use this technology to increase
independence in all areas of life. Over 3,700 people took part in regional taster
events and online activities resulting in increased product sales, more queries
to our information and advice services and increased take up of our volunteer
technology support squad which offers practical support to make the most of
technology in the home.
We are also very proud of what our work leading the cross-sector UK Vision
Strategy has achieved this year. For the first time “reducing avoidable sight
loss” will be one of the indicators used by local authorities in England to drive
public health improvement. In the coming years this change will ensure that the
population of blind and partially sighted people in a local area is more accurately
recorded and the required support and prevention services are in place and
properly promoted.
Introduction
7

As well as these significant new impacts, the impact of our more established
services was also something for us to be proud of. Not least the fact that our
National Library Service sent out over one and a half million books in braille,
audio and giant print enabling 46,000 blind and partially sighted people to enjoy
reading, and that our Helpline and information services dealt with over 450,000
enquiries, providing people with reassurance and increased self confidence. Many
of these enquiries were focused on the pressures people were facing due to the
economic climate.
We also empowered people to make positive, practical
improvements to their lives; for example we gave 5,338
blind and partially sighted people specialist support to
claim benefits they are entitled to, amounting to an
incredible £10.2million in additional income.
All of this fantastic impact, and much more besides,
some of which you can find out more about in this
report, would as always not have been possible without
the fantastic generosity of our supporters. To name
We gave 5,338
blind and partially
sighted people
support to claim the
benefits they are
entitled to.
but a few, thank you to our network of volunteers who make up our technology
support squad providing practical support in people’s homes, and to our campaign
supporters all over the UK who have continued to challenge service delivery that is
inaccessible to blind and partially sighted people, to make society more inclusive.
And thank you to everyone who has supported us with a generous gift, including
those who took part in our new annual fundraising event – Read for RNIB Day
– which was launched in October, as well as those guests who attended our gala
dinner at The Savoy and were entertained by Sir Tom Jones.
8
Introduction

Looking ahead to this year it is of course a big year for the country as the Olympic
and Paralympic Games come to London. Throughout the year we have been
working hard to make sure that people with sight loss can enjoy the games and
we have succeeded in ensuring that, for the first time ever, live audio description
will be provided for all the sporting events, including the opening and closing
ceremonies. However we must continue to focus on the very real threats that exist
to the lives of blind and partially sighted people and those at risk of sight loss in
the UK. This year we will continue to do all we can in these very difficult times to
improve the quality of life and independence of people with sight problems.
Kevin Carey
RNIB Group Chair
Lesley-Anne Alexander, CBE
RNIB Group Chief Executive
Introduction
9

There are almost two
million people in the UK
living with sight loss.
10 10
The annual cost of
adult sight loss in the
UK is £2.5billion.

Stopping people
losing their sight
unnecessarily
Over 50 per cent of sight loss in the
UK can be avoided. We do all we can
to reach the people most at risk of
losing their sight with crucial eye
health messages and to ensure that
potentially sight-saving treatments
are available to all.
11 11

Working to eliminate the huge proportion of sight loss
in the UK that is avoidable
This year we have launched projects in five areas of the UK to improve our
understanding of the barriers to eye health that people experience and the ways
to counter these barriers. Although the devastating experience of losing your sight
can happen to anyone we are particularly targeting the most at risk groups and
striving to improve primary and secondary eyecare for people on low income and
from Pakistani and Caribbean populations. The completed research has identified
people’s experiences and concerns and we are now beginning to trial potential
solutions.
Working in partnership to ensure people have a
potentially sight-saving eye test
Sight tests can identify a potentially sight threatening eye condition before any
symptoms are experienced. This is a crucial message in preventing avoidable
sight loss and is why opportunities to work across the eye health sector, such
as National Eye Health Week, are so vitally important and enable us to reach
people we could not reach on our own. During National Eye Health Week 2011
we worked with 16 key partners and reached in excess of 510,000 people who are
either at risk of losing their sight themselves, or work closely with people who are.
12
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily

4,500 people were given
one-to-one support about their
eye condition.
260,000 leaflets were
distributed on the most common
causes of sight loss.
Making people more aware of the link between
smoking and sight loss
Smoking doubles the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, the
UK’s leading cause of sight loss. In fact, the link is as strong as the link between
smoking and lung cancer. For several years we have been warning the public about
the link between smoking and sight loss and as a result of our lobbying we are
delighted that the European Commission has listened to our concerns and formally
adopted a new health warning “smoking increases the risk of blindness” to be
printed on tobacco products.
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily
13

Challenging health service providers not to cut
potentially sight-saving treatments
With the Royal College of Ophthalmologists we launched our report “Don’t turn
back the clock” at Parliament in June 2011. It outlined which Primary Care Trusts
across England were restricting access to cataract surgery. Throughout the year we
have protected public safety by challenging NHS healthcare providers who have
offered treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration using an unlicensed,
and cheaper, drug, to amend their policies and in several cases, ensured that
patients are given a meaningful choice of treatments. At the end of the year we
launched our “Save our Sight” campaign through which we will make continuous
efforts to improve access to the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the four
leading causes of blindness.
Dennis’s story demonstrates why this work is so vital.
Dennis Sleigh is a 69-year-old singer, songwriter and poet from Derby who had
an early cataract in his right eye that was successfully removed. He has now
developed a cataract in his left eye that causes him problems with glare when
driving, and also when writing his songs and poetry. However, because the
operation on his right eye was successful and his vision in his second eye still
appears to be good he has been told that he cannot have the cataract in his left
eye removed.
“ I have told them that I am struggling with my writing and with
driving. I think that’s what should count, not an artificial rule based
on visual acuity. After all, there is all this talk about a patientcentred
NHS. For me that means that they should fix my eye so I
don’t have to rely on other people for transport and I can continue
doing what I love most.”
14
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily

358,000 people are registered
as blind or partially sighted.
Over 50 per cent of sight loss
could have been avoided.
Speaking up for the needs of people with sight loss
to those planning vital services
Tracking the levels of sight loss is key to demonstrating the needs of the
population and therefore opening up better access to sight-saving treatments
for people at risk of losing their sight and life enhancing services for people
living with sight loss. Our work with other organisations to analyse eye
health data and build an evidence base which has been communicated across
the sector has led to the fantastic result that the Public Health Outcomes
Framework for England – which sets out the desired outcomes for public health
and how these will be measured – will now include an eye health indicator
tracking the three major causes of sight loss.
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily 15
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily

66 per cent of blind and
partially sighted people of
working age are unemployed.
16 16
There are around 40,000
children and young people
living with sight loss in the UK.

Supporting
independent living
We want blind and partially sighted
people to have the opportunity to
remain as independent as possible and
we provide the services, support and
solutions to enable this.
17 17

Supporting people when they are diagnosed with
a sight threatening condition
Our Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLOs) are often the first support people will
receive helping them to come to terms with losing their sight. ECLOs gave support
to over 17,500 people when they were first told they are losing their sight. During
the year we have increased the number of eye clinics where this vital support is
available, as well as further developing the expert nature of the support through
training and development opportunities for ECLOs.
Improving the opportunities for blind and partially
sighted children to fulfil their potential
We secured a major step forward in access to qualifications for blind and partially
sighted pupils this year when, as a result of our lobbying, Ofqual (Register of
Regulated Qualifications) ruled that from September 2012 children who could
not use braille or large print would be able to use a computer and screen reader
in exams. We have also launched the “Load2Learn” project with Dyslexia Action
which will result in 1,000 accessible text books and 700 accessible images
becoming immediately available for children and young people to use.
18
Supporting independent living

17,600 people were given
support and advice when they
were diagnosed with sight loss.
Over 1.6 million talking books
were sent to blind and partially
sighted people.
Improving the quality of life of
children at RNIB Pears Centre
RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning (formerly
RNIB Rushton School and Children’s Home) in Coventry
offers individually-tailored education, care and therapies
to young people who are blind or partially sighted and
have complex needs. The rebuilding of the school and
children’s home has now been completed and all the
new buildings are now in use. In November 2011 the
children’s home was awarded an “outstanding” grade at
an Ofsted inspection.
“RNIB Pears Centre has had
an incredible impact: the
teaching has brought new
life into Nadia and she has
developed independent
living skills. She has made
major strides which has had a
positive impact on her parents
and siblings as well. We are
very grateful to RNIB Pears
Centre for all their efforts
and support.”
Qayyum, Nadia’s dad
Supporting independent living
19

Enabling people to retain work when losing their sight,
or to find new employment
Losing your sight should not mean losing your job. Working and earning your
living can be vital to self confidence and independence. We are determined to help
people keep their job when they are losing their sight, and find new work if they
need to. But the shocking fact is that only 33 per cent of blind and partially
sighted people of working age are in employment. This year, through working with
employers and training and supporting blind and partially sighted people, we have
helped 1,164 people to retain their job or to find new employment, and thereby to
build and maintain their confidence.
Finding his feet
Chris Ford, 50, lost his sight in 2008 as a result of an assault. He took part in
RNIB’s Finding your feet: Steps into work programme in 2012. Before he lost his
sight he was the main breadwinner, now his daughter has taken on that role. It’s
important to Chris to be able to support his family.
“ RNIB’s Steps into work programme was the first time I got together
with other people in the same position as me to look at some of
the problems we are facing. I was shocked to find out that only
33 per cent of blind or partially sighted people of working age are
in paid employment. I’d like to retrain in counselling. Speaking to
people on Steps into work helped me see it might be right for me
and I think I would be good at it.”
20
Supporting independent living

Our Helpline dealt with 450,000
enquiries during the year.
We identified £10.2million in
unclaimed benefit entitlements for
blind and partially sighted people.
Helping people to manage the potential impact on
their lives of cuts to services and benefits
This year as cuts to services and benefits begin to become reality we have seen
an increase in the complexity of the enquiries received by our Helpline as
people try to get to grips with the changes that will have such an impact on
their lives. We gave 5,338 blind and partially sighted people specialist support
to understand and claim the benefits they were entitled to. This work identified
an incredible £10.2million in previously unclaimed benefits. We have also
worked with parents, carers and professionals to try to maintain services where
there have been plans to reduce or remove support that has previously been
available to blind and partially sighted children.
Supporting independent living 21

Fighting to ensure blind and partially sighted people receive
the services and support to which they are entitled
We are determined to protect the entitlements of blind and partially sighted people and ensure
that vital services and support can be relied upon now and in the future.
The recommendations within the Welfare Reform Bill posed real threats to blind and partially
sighted people, which is why we helped organise the largest mobilisation of disabled people ever
to lobby MPs in Parliament over welfare reform. Hundreds of blind and partially sighted people
were part of the 8,000 disabled people to lobby Parliament last May as part of the Hardest
Hit march. Regional events followed in October attended by 5,000 people and our Hardest Hit
Christmas card was signed by 23,000 people before being delivered to 10 Downing Street.
This unprecedented lobbying led to 87 per cent of MPs being contacted and 27 per cent being
visited, and MPs and government being left in no doubt that the challenges and additional costs
faced by blind and partially sighted people needed to be reflected in the new benefit.
Early in the year we were delighted that the proposals published by our Vice-President Lord Low,
which were based on the personal mobility needs of blind and partially sighted people, led to the
government reversing its decision to make blind and partially sighted people in residential care
ineligible to the additional mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). But now we
are faced with a new threat to the independence of blind and partially sighted people.
The government’s plans to replace DLA with Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will remove
tens of millions of pounds from blind and partially sighted people. The criteria for the new benefit
fail to recognise that sight loss is a serious disability and that you face extensive extra costs if you
can’t see and that these costs are ongoing. This year we will work hard to challenge these plans
and to protect the entitlements of blind and partially sighted people.
Find out how you can help blind and partially sighted people
by supporting our PIP campaign at rnib.org.uk/pip
22
Supporting independent living

Why Lizzie supported
the Hardest Hit
Lizzie Anderson from Northampton felt
very strongly about the need to go along
and take a stand,
not only for herself
but for others too.
“I wanted to go on the march on behalf of people who probably couldn’t go
because we can’t get meaningful jobs, all we can get is voluntary work.
That’s the reason why I’ve done it. And to have funding for direct payments
that most disabled people need because a lot of us are having to pay for
transport and personal care.
One of the things I’m really going to be affected by these cuts is not being
able to take so many taxis which is in effect independence for me. The
reason I use these taxis is to get to my music lessons, my job interviews
or to the doctors. A lot of us have got this money because we need it, not
because it’s a luxury that the state decides to give us.”
Supporting independent living
23

60 per cent of blind and
partially sighted people need
help to get out of the house.
24 24
75 per cent of blind and
partially sighted people
need help to go shopping.

Creating an
inclusive society
We work with industry and service
providers to improve the travel,
shopping and banking experiences
of blind and partially sighted people
as well as developing better ways to
read, watch television and get the
most from technology.
25 25

Challenging service providers to consider the needs
of people with sight problems
Often a little thought or a minor adjustment can turn an inaccessible service into
one someone with a sight problem can use independently. With our network of
campaign supporters we have made challenges to 103 shopping, banking and
payment systems and 151 transport services and pedestrian environments. Our
“Talking ATMs” campaign has led to Barclays promising to roll them out across
the UK in the next 12-18 months, and Lloyds Banking Group have committed
to make their ATMs talk and will be targeting 1,500 machines in 2013. This is
an absolutely amazing success which will have a huge impact on the lives of
people with sight problems. On the shopping front, as a result of working with
us, Debenhams launched their UK-wide personal shopping service for blind and
partially sighted people.
Making online services easier for blind and partially
sighted people to use
The internet is becoming a necessary tool by which to access the information,
products and services that we need in day to day life. However much of the
content remains inaccessible to blind and partially sighted people, creating barriers
to gaining employment, managing money and even travelling independently.
Through providing information and advocacy on accessibility and engaging
industry, we have influenced ten sites to make changes so that blind and partially
sighted people can access them independently, including The Guardian, Barclays,
BMI and Audible, and we are in discussions with fifteen others including National
Rail Enquiries and the Home Office.
26
Creating an inclusive society

We have challenged over 100
shopping, banking and payment
systems that are inaccessible to
blind and partially sighted people.
We supported 34 transport
providers to improve the
service they offer to people
with sight problems.
Improving mobile phone and television choices for
people with sight problems
Television is a vital source of information for people with sight problems. Before
the UK went through the digital switchover we developed the Smart talk speaking
set top box in partnership with Goodmans. March saw the launch of another world
first when our work with Panasonic culminated in the launch of the first talking
TV, and we worked with broadcasters to increase the amount of audio description
available. We have worked to build strong relationships with the major mobile
phone manufacturers to the extent that they now consult us on the accessibility
of the phones they are producing. This year we have seen the release of new
products from Nokia and Vodafone that people with sight problems can more
easily use, and just as importantly, can buy on the high street.
Creating an inclusive society
27

Increasing the confidence of blind and partially sighted
people to get out and about
Being able to travel confidently and independently is crucial to avoid the potential
isolation that sight loss can lead to. But independent travel is a challenge for blind
and partially sighted people and many feel trapped at home. This is why we do all
we can to ensure transport systems are as easy to use as possible for people with
sight problems, and that the public environment is welcoming. We are working
with transport providers to highlight good practice and we supported 34 transport
service providers to introduce practical changes to make getting out and about
easier for blind and partially sighted people.
Empowering people to make the most of technology
and increase their independence
Technology is continuing to open up new opportunities for people with sight
problems to maintain their independence, whether through computers, mobile
phones, television, eBooks or radios. But we understand that realising these
opportunities is not always easy and we are determined to help blind and
partially sighted people get the most out of technology. We brought people closer
to these technology solutions with our first ever “Switch on to technology month”
in November 2011 when around 400 people attended our taster events and many
more read our beginners’ guides to the benefits technology can bring. During the
year our home visiting technology support squad gave over 3,500 people help in
getting to grips with new technologies.
28 Creating an inclusive society

Kelci’s story
When Norfolk County Council announced
that they were cutting free travel for
blind people local campaigner Bernie
Reddington decided to act. Bernie took
leading council members on a bus trip
wearing sim specs so they could gain
an understanding of what it was like to
use buses when you have sight loss. This
trip was a crucial factor in the council
reversing their decision. This is vitally
important to many residents such as
Kelci Monaghan, who is deaf and blind.
“ Travelling for me will be much easier now that I don’t
have to worry about what time I leave and can have a
companion with me. Before, I never knew how much
money to give to the driver and couldn’t tell when I’d
reached my stop because I can’t see or hear. Thank you
to the council for giving me back the support I need to
travel independently – I’m over the moon.”
Creating an inclusive society
29

We have benefited from
the support of over 3,700
volunteers this year.
30 30
Over 30 per
cent of RNIB’s
work is made
possible thanks
to gifts people
leave us in
their Will.

Thank you
Without the volunteers who help
deliver our vital services, the donors
who help fund these services and our
campaign supporters who help make
our voice louder we would not be able
to achieve all we do.
31 31

We are honoured to have the support of some remarkable individuals. We are indebted to our
Patron Her Majesty The Queen; to our President of 25 years who stepped down this year, His
Grace the Duke of Westminster; and to our new President Dame Gail Ronson, as well as to our
Vice-Presidents:
Sir John Beckwith CBE
The Rt Hon David
Blunkett MP
Richard Brewster
Professor Ian Bruce CBE
Jeremy Bull
32
Dr Haruhisa Handa
Dr Euclid Herie
Lady Jarvis
Penny Lancaster-Stewart
Lord Low of Dalston CBE
Sir Mike Rake
Dr Dermot Smurfit
Rod Stewart CBE
The Rt Hon the Earl of
Stockton
Sir Duncan Watson
We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to the many individuals, companies and trusts that have
supported us this year. Without your support we could not have achieved what we have. We can’t
possibly name you all but here’s a list of those who have contributed significantly to our cause.
3 Mobile
Accor Services
Ada Hillard Charitable Trust
Miss Agnes H Hunter’s Trust
Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth
Association UK
Alcon UK
All or Nothing Scooter Club
Allergan
AMW Charitable Trust
The Ana Leaf Foundation
The Arbib Foundation
Lady Ashcroft
Awards for All
Thank you
B&P Glasser Charitable Trust
Ballymoney Ladies
fundraising group
Bayer Group
BBC Children in Need
The John Beckwith
Charitable Trust
Belfast Association for the
Blind
The Berkeley Foundation
Big Lottery Fund
Billmeir Charitable Trust
The Black Heart Foundation
The Booker Prize Foundation
Boots D&A
Mr and Mrs Ronald Boschetto
Brian Mercer Charitable Trust
Brian Whittle
Brownlie Charitable Trust
BSkyB
BT PLC
Mr Jeremy Bull
Burwood Trust
Butcher & Harrison
Carmen Butler-Charteris
Charitable Trust
The Catherine Cookson
Charitable Trust
Continued on page 34 ➜

Brian’s story
Brian has been volunteering for RNIB
since 2006. Brian is an incredibly
dedicated and committed volunteer and
is responsible for collecting donations
from our Sooty boxes in nearly 500
sites all over Lancashire. This year Brian
reached the incredible milestone of
having collected £100,000 to support
blind and partially sighted people.
“ It’s very interesting and
every time you go out you
don’t know what you will
find! I particularly enjoy
building a relationship with
site owners and getting
them to encourage their
customers to donate to RNIB. We need more
volunteers to help RNIB to continue its vital
work. I’ve encouraged my friends in the past
and would encourage anyone to give it a go.”
We need you!
If you would like to
volunteer your time
to help RNIB support
blind and partially
sighted people call
0845 603 0575
or visit rnib.org.uk
Thank you
33

Cecil Rosen Charitable Trust
Coca Cola Foundation
Coleraine Inner Wheel
Constance Travis Charitable
Trust
Creative Scotland
The Peter Cruddas
Foundation
Cushendall Golf Club
Mrs Lisa Dennis
Department for Children,
Education, Lifelong Learning
and Skills
Department for Education
Department for Employment
and Learning
Department of Health
Richard Desmond
Edenred
Graham Edwards
Eric Westbrook
Euro-Matic Foundation
European Social Fund
The Lord and Lady Fellowes
of West Stafford
Lord and Lady Fink
Mr and Mrs Keith Freedman
Tony Gallagher
34
Thank you
GC Gibson Charitable
Settlement
Gerry Allen
Glasgow City Council
Evelyn and David Green
Dr Handa, Chairman,
Worldwide Support for
Development
Lord Harris and
Lady Harris DBE
Henry Hinde Junior School
Her Majesty’s Revenue and
Customs
Heritage Lottery Fund NI
Hugh Fraser Foundation
Mr Ian Reid
International Doghouse Club
Blue Lamp Kennel
J G Graves Charitable Trust
The J H F Green Trust
John Atcheson Foundation
John Scott Trust
Karnival
Miss Kathleen Beryl Sleigh
Charitable Trust
Isaac and Myrna Kaye
Lennox Wyfold Charitable
Trust
Lloyds TSB Foundation
L’Occitane
Lorraine Clarke
Loughborough University
LTCAS
Makinson Cowell Ltd
Man Group PLC Charitable
Trust
Manchester City Football Club
Mr and Mrs Harvey McGrath
Ruth McIntosh
Dr and Mrs Samad Munshi
The John R Murray Charitable
Trust
Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council
Nexen Petroleum UK Limited
Next PLC
NHS Fife
NHS Leeds
Normanby Charitable Trust
Northwood Charitable Trust
Novartis
O2
Mr and Mrs Matthew Orr
O’Sullivan Family Charitable
Trust
Panasonic
Pears Foundation
Continued on page 36 ➜

Dave’s story
Last year, Dave Cowell was diagnosed
with myopic retinal deterioration. This
diagnosis and the rapid deterioration of
Dave’s sight meant that he had to give
up his job as an HGV driver. Dave found
the help RNIB gave him vital in coping
with this dramatic change to his life. As a
means of giving something back to RNIB
Dave completed a 300 mile tandem bike
challenge from London to Paris in 3 days,
and raised over £5,500 for RNIB.
“ I have a wife and four
children so you can
imagine the effect this had
on me and my family. I had
no idea what to do next so
I contacted the RNIB not
really knowing what if
anything you could do to help. The support,
advice and information proved to be invaluable
and has helped us enormously.”
This year our
supporters raised
almost £400,000 by
participating in events
such as the London to
Paris bike ride.
Thank you
35

The Jack Petchey
Foundation
P F Charitable Trust
Philip and Marjorie Robinson
Charitable Trust
Phoenix Natural Gas
Polegrove Bowls Club
Mr and Mrs Paul Polman
Charlie Porter
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Prue Ruback
Qualcomm Incorporated
Quiz League of London
Mrs Ray Graham
The Joseph and Lena Randall
Charitable Trust
Ranmore Charitable Trust
Research in Motion
Mr David Richards and
Dr Ann MacGregor
RNIB Belfast Ladies
Committee
Robertson Trust
The Gerald Ronson
Foundation
Rowan Charitable Trust
The Royal Bank of
Scotland
Edmond J. Safra
Philanthropic Foundation
Mr and Mrs Ralph Saunders
Mrs Lyn Schlesinger
Mr and Mrs Urs
Schwarzenbach
The Scottish Government
Miss SE Robinson Charitable
Trust
Shared Care Scotland –
Better Breaks
Dr and Mrs Dermot Smurfit
Souter Charitable Trust
Sport Northern Ireland
SSE Energy Supply Ltd
Standard Life PLC
The Steinberg Family
Charitable Trust
Daniel Stewart &
Company PLC
Total
Tring Lions Club
Wales Council for Voluntary
Action
Welsh Government
Women’s World Day of Prayer
Worshipful Company of
Spectacle Makers
WPH Charitable Trust
WT Mattock Charitable
Settlement
Youth Council for Northern
Ireland
A brighter future
About a third of RNIB’s work is supported by gifts in Wills so we are hugely grateful to those
people who have supported us in this way. Every penny we are left is used wisely to provide a
brighter future for blind and partially sighted people. You don’t have to be wealthy to make a
difference; legacies of all sizes are vital to our work. If you’d like to know how you can help in
this way please call 0845 600 0313 or visit rnib.org.uk/legacy.
36
Thank you

Shirley’s story
Why I’ve included a gift in
my Will to RNIB
Shirley is a retired librarian, in 1999
she developed age-related macular
degeneration in both eyes, and was
ultimately unable to read, drive a car or
see people’s faces. Reading had been a
lifelong passion for Shirley, so she was
particularly grateful when she discovered
RNIB talking books.
“Talking books allow me to listen in bed, keep up with book groups
and events and sometimes they even add an extra dimension to
a previously loved classic, given by the excellent professional
readers. Thanks to RNIB I can go on reading, enjoy a full social life
and maintain my independence.”
Thank you
37

A brief look at our finances
The RNIB group of charities focused expenditure on the following
areas of work:
Stopping people losing their sight £3,195,000
Supporting independent living £84,340,000
Creating an inclusive society £9,070,000
Costs to generate funds £14,597,000
Governance costs £1,564,000
Total expenditure £112,766,000
There was an actuarial loss on the defined benefit pension scheme of £16,275,000
There was a net gain on investment assets of £383,000
The RNIB group of charities’ resources at 31 March 2012 consisted
of the following:
Unrestricted funds £67,618,000
Restricted funds £26,999,000
Endowment funds £5,636,000
Less pension deficit £11,546,000
This gives total net assets of £88,707,000
38 A brief look at our finances

Our expenditure in focus
75 per cent
Supporting independent living
3 per cent
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily
8 per cent
Creating an inclusive society
The RNIB group of charities’ income came from the following sources:
Donations and legacies £64,452,000
Investment income £1,079,000
Merchandising and sponsorship £265,000
Income from charitable activities £44,220,000
Other incoming resources £1,582,000
This gave a total income of £111,598,000
And an operating deficit of £1,168,000
These figures are extracted from the full Trustees’ report and financial statement for
the year ending 31 March 2012, as audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
If you would like a copy of the full report, available in print, audio, braille and by
email, please contact our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk
A brief look at our finances
39

The first ever Read for RNIB Day was held
on 14 October 2011 and it got off to a flying
start when we set a new world record with
317 people successfully reading a line each
from an exclusive story by Anthony Horowitz,
“Double Eagle has Landed.”
40
Find out how you can get
involved in this year’s
Read for RNIB Day at
readforrnib.org.uk

How you can help
Every day 100 people start to lose their sight. We need your help to provide vital services for
blind and partially sighted people. Do something today and make a difference.
Fundraise – Without financial support from donations and legacies we simply couldn’t
provide many of the products and services that help people find their lives again. There
are many ways you can show your support, such as getting involved in Read for RNIB Day,
taking on a challenge or making a one-off donation.
Volunteer – Without volunteers we couldn’t run our services. There are over 100
volunteering opportunities across the UK where you could make a real difference in your
local community.
Campaign – Without active campaigners we could never get changes made to health,
social care, employment and benefits. Join our campaigns on issues that matter to blind and
partially sighted people. Attend a supporter reception to learn more about our vital work and
discover opportunities to get more involved.
Please call today on 0303 123 9999 to find out more or send your details to:
RNIB, 105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NE
I would like to know more about:
Making a regular gift Leaving a gift in my Will RNIB Membership
Volunteering Fundraising events Recycling for RNIB
Products and publications Campaigning Read for RNIB Day
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communication from RNIB.
How you can help
41

If you want to make a donation please let us know how much:
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have paid, or will pay, an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for the current tax
year (6 April 2012 to 5 April 2013) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the
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your gifts for the current tax year. By ticking the box you also confirm that you understand
that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify, and that RNIB will reclaim 25p
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authorised agents for research purposes and to advise you of additional opportunities/news
that we think may be of interest. Please tick here if you do not wish this to happen.
42
How you can help
✁

Your audio CD
l Listen to the highlights of our work in 2011/12.
l Find out how our supporters have been making it all possible.
l Hear clips from our member magazine Vision.
Only seven per
cent of books
are available
in large print,
unabridged
audio and
braille, including
titles available
in these formats
as eBooks.
Your audio CD
43

RNIB Helpline
For information for you or anyone you
know with a sight problem, contact
our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 from
Monday to Friday between 8.45am and
5.30pm or email helpline@rnib.org.uk
You can also order more copies of this
review as well as our range of products
and publications.
Sightline directory
The new Sightline directory lists the
people, organisations and services
especially for blind and partially sighted
people all in one place online. You
can search the directory and discover
who’s there to help both locally and
nationally.
Visit sightlinedirectory.org.uk
to get started with your search.
rnib.org.uk
facebook.com/rnibuk
twitter.com/rnib
You
Tube
youtube.com/rnibuk
©RNIB October 2012 Registered charity number 226227
PR12354P