RNIB annual review 2011/2012Our impact, your stories, our thanks

Contents Introduction Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily Supporting independent living Creating an inclusive society Thank you A brief look at our finances How you can help Contact details

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

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

Logo – RNIB supporting blind and partially sighted peopleRegistered charity number 226227

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.

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.

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 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

rnib.org.uk

be targeting 1,500 machines in 2013. This commitment will work across all their brands 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.

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 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 –

rnib.org.uk

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.

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 and Lesley-Anne Alexander, CBE, RNIB Group Chief Executive

rnib.org.uk

Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarilyOver 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.

There are almost two million people in the UK living with sight loss.

The annual cost of adult sight loss in the 10 UK is £2.5billion.

Working to eliminate the huge proportion of sight loss in the UK that is avoidableThis 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 testSight 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.

4,500 people were given one-to-one support about their eye condition.

Making people more aware of the link between smoking and sight lossSmoking 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.

rnib.org.uk

260,000 leaflets were distributed on the most common causes of sight loss.

Challenging health service providers not to cut potentially sight-saving treatmentsWith 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 patient centred 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.”

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 servicesTracking 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.

358,000 people are registered as blind or partially sighted.

rnib.org.uk

Supporting independent livingWe 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.

66 per cent of blind and partially sighted people of working age are unemployed.

There are around 40,000 children and young people 16 living with sight loss in the UK.

Supporting people when they are diagnosed with a sight threatening conditionOur 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.

17,600 people were given support and advice when they were diagnosed with sight loss.

Improving the opportunities for blind and partially sighted children to fulfil their potentialWe 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.

Over 1.6 million talking books were sent to blind and partially sighted people.

Improving the quality of life of children at RNIB Pears CentreRNIB 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.org.uk

“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

Enabling people to retain work when losing their sight, or to find new employmentLosing 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 feetChris 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.”

Our Helpline dealt with 450,000 enquiries during the year.

Helping people to manage the potential impact on their lives of cuts to services and benefitsThis 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.

rnib.org.uk

We identified £10.2million in unclaimed benefit entitlements identified for blind and partially sighted people.

Fighting to ensure blind and partially sighted people receive the services and support to which they are entitledWe 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

Why Lizzie supported the Hardest HitLizzie 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

rnib.org.uk

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.”

rnib.org.uk

Creating an inclusive societyWe 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.

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

75 per cent of blind and partially sighted people 24 need help to go shopping.

Challenging service providers to consider the needs of people with sight problemsOften 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.

We have challenged over 100 shopping, banking and payment systems that are inaccessible to blind and partially sighted people.

Making online services easier for blind and partially sighted people to useThe 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.

We supported 34 transport providers to improve the service they offer to people with sight problems.

rnib.org.uk

Improving mobile phone and television choices for people with sight problemsTelevision 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.

Increasing the confidence of blind and partially sighted people to get out and aboutBeing 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.

Kelci’s storyWhen 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.”

Empowering people to make the most of technology and increase their independenceTechnology 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

rnib.org.uk

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.

rnib.org.uk

Thank youWithout 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.

We have benefited from the support of over 3,700 volunteers this year.

Over 30 per cent of RNIB’s work is made possible thanks to gifts people leave us in 30 their Will.

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 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

rnib.org.uk

The Arbib Foundation Lady Ashcroft Awards for All 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 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

rnib.org.uk

Lord and Lady Fink Mr and Mrs Keith Freedman Tony Gallagher 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

rnib.org.uk

O’Sullivan Family Charitable Trust Panasonic Pears Foundation 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

rnib.org.uk

WT Mattock Charitable Settlement Youth Council for Northern Ireland

Brian’s storyBrian 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

Dave’s storyLast 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.

A brighter futureAbout 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.

rnib.org.uk

Shirley’s storyWhy 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.”

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.” Find out how you can get involved in this year’s Read for RNIB Day at readforrnib.org.uk

rnib.org.uk

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

The RNIB group of charities’ income came from the following sources:Donations and legacies £64,452,000Investment income £1,079,000Merchandising and sponsorship £265,000Income from charitable activities £44,220,000Other incoming resources £1,582,000This gave a total income of £111,598,000And an operating deficit of £1,168,000These 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

rnib.org.uk

How you can helpEvery 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

Let us know what you 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

We will require the following details: Name Address Postcode EmailPlease let us know if you are happy to receive email and other electronic forms of communication from RNIB.

If you want to make a donation please let us know how much.If paying by card please supply the following details: Type of card

rnib.org.uk

Card number Issue number Start date Expiry dateCheques should be made payable to “RNIB Charity”.

Gift Aid can make your gift worth even more to us. Please tick the box to confirm that you 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 charities, and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs), that you donate to will reclaim on 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 of tax on every £1 that you have given.

Data protection. The personal details you provide will be used solely by RNIB and our authorised agents for research purposes and to advise you of additional opportunities/news that we think may be of interest. Please let us know if you do not wish this to happen.

rnib.org.uk

Contact details

RNIB HelplineFor 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.ukYou can also order more copies of this review as well as our range of products and publications.

Sightline directoryThe 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/rnibuktwitter.com/rnibyoutube.com/rnibuk

©RNIB October 2012 Registered charity number 226227 PR12354P

rnib.org.uk