Welsh charity completes de-merger

4 April 2022

Sight Life returns to being an independent charity

As planned, April 2022 sees the completion of the de-merger of Sight Life from the RNIB Group. This mutually agreed move follows two years of hard work by both charities.

Sight Life, or Cardiff Institute for the Blind as it was then known, became part of the RNIB Group in 2009. Post the de-merger both charities will still work in partnership to help people with sight loss, while at the same time exploring new opportunities.

The service users, Trustees and Staff at Sight Life would like to acknowledge the exceptional work and support of the RNIB, both while part of the Group and during the de-merger process.

The separation allows each charity to focus on its core strengths. For Sight Life this means providing practical help across south Wales to anyone with limited sight. We aim to ensure that people with sight loss can do the things (shop, travel, work, access leisure activities) that most people with ordinary vision take for granted.

Sight Life returns to independence in a strong financial position. We have also recruited new trustees and management and maintained our staffing levels during the pandemic.

 

Notes for editors:

  1. Sight Life (formerly Cardiff Institute for the Blind) supports people who are blind or partially sighted in south Wales. In 2020/21 we helped more than 3,000 people in Cardiff, Swansea, RCT (Rhondda Cynon Taf), Neath and Port Talbot.
  2. We provide statutory services to people with sight loss on behalf of the local Councils in Cardiff and Swansea.
  3. In cooperation with the NHS, we provide a support service (ECLO: Eye Clinic Liaison Officer) for patients newly diagnosed with sight loss in University Hospital of Wales (UHW “The Heath”) in Cardiff.
  4. Our aims are to ensure that people with sight loss can take part in all aspects of society, including work and leisure.
  5. We offer a range of training, clubs and activities including audio-described theatre trips, confidence building, cooking, drama, employment support, fitness, gardening, IT, music, photography, rambling and yoga to people with sight loss.
  6. Established in 1865, we are one of Wales’ oldest charities. In spring 2022 we will return to being an independent charity after being part of the UK wide RNIB Group since 2009.
  7. We have approximately a dozen staff and annual income in the region of £440,000 from statutory contracts, grants, trusts, The National Lottery, donations and legacies.
  8. Sight Life changed its name from Cardiff Institute for the Blind in 2019 to reflect the fact that we work beyond Cardiff, including Swansea and RCT (Rhondda Cynon Taf). The name change also recognises the fact that we support people with any degree of sight loss, not only those who are blind.

Sight loss? Think Sight Life.

 

Need to talk to someone? Call us on 029 2039 8900

 

Offices:

Sight Life (Head Office)

Jones Court

Womanby Street

Cardiff

CF10 1BR

 

Telephone:

029 2039 8900

 

Swansea and Neath Port Talbot

Swansea Vale Resource Centre

Ffordd Tregof

Swansea Vale

Swansea SA7 0AL

Telephone:

01792 776360