ESSEX BLIND CHARITY

Registered charity 1103732 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as Essex Sight

To relieve and assist people with sight loss.

Causes: Disability · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred an operating deficit of £119,155 for the year ended 30 April 2025, with total expenditure of £290,192 exceeding total income of £214,617. Per the trustees' report, the charity is entirely reliant on investment returns, contracts, and donations, and holds unrestricted reserves of £2,685,415 to mitigate financial risks and cover the operating deficit. The trustees confirm there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 05098747

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• National Lottery — “Support 4 Sight, the visual impairment charity covering West Essex, is running a County wide National Lottery funded employment project to h…” (source page)
• Yellow Car Fund — “Thanks to funding from the Yellow Car Fund through Essex Community Foundation, we now have a small van filled with information and equipment…” (source page)
• Essex Community Foundation — “Thanks to funding from the Yellow Car Fund through Essex Community Foundation, we now have a small van filled with information and equipment…” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• MEADE, Harry Guido — director, appointed 04/08/2025on trustee list
• FERNLEY, James William — director, appointed 29/10/2024on trustee list
• WATLING, Vanda June — director, appointed 30/05/2024on trustee list
• MEIXNER, Neil Wencel — director, appointed 28/10/2020on trustee list
• CRAWSHAW, Theodora Helen — director, appointed 24/06/2020on trustee list
• SMITH, Darren John — director, appointed 28/08/2019on trustee list
• PORTER, Sara Dorothy — director, appointed 09/06/2017on trustee list
• JACKSON, Robert Lionel — director, appointed 26/01/2011on trustee list
• DIXON, Jonathan Simon — secretary, appointed 28/10/2020

Official officers record.

CQC provider record: Essex Blind Charity — Deregistered, 1 registered location, last inspected 02/12/2020.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/04/2023)

Reported reserves equal ~22.0 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 7.0 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (76% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 21.6% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 2.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (10/05/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Alan Williams
• Darren Smith
• Harry Guido Meade
• James William Fernley
• Neil Meixner
• ROBERT LIONEL JACKSON
• Sara Dorothy Porter
• Theodora Helen Crawshaw
• Vanda June Watling

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Essex

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).