Overall GiG Score: 18 ?
Finance Score: 1
Governance Score: 8
Support Score: 9
  • Liabilities <10%: +3
  • Excess liquidity: -1
  • Large legacies income: +1
  • Fundraising costs high: -2
  • 12+ Trustees: -1
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +9

THE GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND ASSOCIATION 

The Association provides guide dogs, mobility and other rehabilitation services to people who are blind and partially sighted. In accordance with its constitution, it provides "additional services and facilities for the relief of blind persons as the Association shall from time to time deem fit".
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers, including a Community Foundation, recently
  • This charity has a robust balance sheet
  • This charity has received considerable income from legacies in recent years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • There are 13 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12

Financial issues to consider:

  • Liquidity appeared to be in excess of CC guidelines at the latest year end
  • Fundraising costs are high relative to funds raised
Established: 61 years
(89 years as a company)

www.guidedogs.org.uk

guidedogs@guidedogs.org.uk

01189835555

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/12/22£142,035£128,280£13,755£32,606£198,798£194,62618.21,73715,500
31/12/21£153,000£116,000£37,000£34,200£196,400£191,70019.81,45614,424
31/12/20£125,900£111,900£14,000£35,700£153,400£150,20016.11,44214,000
31/12/19£122,200£113,400£8,800£37,300£136,100£132,400141,38417,022
31/12/18£117,700£106,300£11,400£38,600£123,100£117,60013.31,35416,000
31/12/17£108,700£106,700£2,000£44,200£113,500£108,10012.21,3820
31/12/16£107,000£101,700£5,300£39,300£106,400£101,500121,3570
31/12/15£103,700£104,400£-700£40,200£109,700£104,400121,3420
31/12/14£101,100£94,000£7,100£37,300£96,200£95,60012.21,2400
31/12/13£74,900£85,300£-10,400£32,000£87,500£86,80012.21,1580
31/12/12£69,100£71,200£-2,100£25,200£94,100£93,70015.81,2100
31/12/11£66,100£77,200£-11,100£21,800£91,700£91,30014.21,1140
31/12/10£57,366£73,028£-15,662£19,036£118,843£118,51819.51,0820
31/12/09£60,093£70,599£-10,506£16,310£134,637£134,42822.81,0530
31/12/08£68,575£70,185£-1,610£17,162£133,633£132,51722.79980
31/12/07£71,884£62,269£9,615£13,428£154,217£152,78029.49200
31/12/06£63,821£63,677£144£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/05£55,196£53,124£2,072£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/04£50,319£49,645£674£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 24.6%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 25.4%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 3%
Highest pay band: £150,000-£200,000
Liabilities/Assets: 5%
Liabilities/Income: 8%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 98%
Reserves/Spending: 18.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 6 months
Quick Ratio: 2.5
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Disability
Who works here?
  • 1,737 employees
  • 15,500 volunteers
Who it helps
  • People With Disabilities
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
National Lottery Community Fund£736,676
BBC Children in Need£94,139
DCMS£88,180
Co-Operative Group£26,913
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
National Lottery Community Fund - VI Technology Hub
£689,045 18/09/2023
Funding will be used to develop a new online technology hub for visually impaired people carers and professionals – reaching 20000 people across England. This will be developed in partnership with ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Coronation Celebration event at Chester Zoo
£10,000 17/03/2023
The funding will be used to host an event at Chester Zoo for children and young people living with visual impairments and their families to mark the King’s Coronation. The project aims to promote a ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Activity Sessions at High Rise Lisburn for children living with sight loss.
£9,982 09/09/2022
Guide Dogs is using a £9982 grant to bring children and young people with vision impairments together with their parents to gain support for preparing for transitions in school or training. The ....more
Masonic Trust - MCF Matched Funding
£1,250 28/07/2022
Unrestricted matched funding in partnership with the local masonic province
National Lottery Community Fund - Platinum Jubilee Family Day Out at Pleasurewood Hills Family Theme Park
£8,408 22/04/2022
The funding will be used to deliver a Platinum Jubilee themed event at a family theme park for 20 children with vision impairment and their families. This will provide a peer support network respite ....more
BBC Children in Need - Grant to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
£94,139 03/02/2022
This project will deliver play-based habilitation and therapy service to children under 4 living with visual impairments. The activities will result in increased independence, improved motor skills ....more
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide Dogs Bexley
£4,320 23/10/2021
We would support more people with sight loss to have the confidence to get back into their local communities, employment and gain independence.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide Dogs Kingston
£2,013 23/10/2021
We would support more people with sight loss to have the confidence to get back into their local communities, and gain employment and independence.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide Dogs Denbigh
£1,558 23/10/2021
We would support more people with sight loss to have the confidence to get back into their local communities, employment and gain independence.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Braintree & District Guide Dogs
£1,126 23/10/2021
We would be able to support more people with sight loss to have the confidence to get back into their local communities, and gain employment and independence.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide Dogs Pembrokeshire
£1,723 23/10/2021
Support more people with sight loss to have the confidence to get back into their local communities, employment, and gain independence.
National Lottery Community Fund - Dad's Group
£10,000 30/09/2021
The funding will be used to pilot an online peer-to-peer support platform for dads with a child with vision impairment (CVI). The project aims to increase knowledge about sight loss improve mental ....more
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide Dogs Scotland
£3,237 24/10/2020
We would like to help more people with sight loss have the confidence to get back into their local communities and gain independence.
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£57,800 29/09/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - My Guide Glasgow
£9,241 13/12/2019
11
This group will train volunteers to effectively guide and support people with visual impairments, helping to improve their skills and confidence in navigating public spaces.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide dogs for the blind - Medway Branch
£4,065 15/11/2019
To raise £5000 to name, raise and train a guide dog puppy in Kent
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide Dogs Llandudno Fundraising Group
£3,092 15/11/2019
We would like to equip all our trainee dogs with the equipment they need for their journey to becoming life-changing dogs.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Ledbury Guide Dogs
£5,780 15/11/2019
We want to fund training for a guide dog puppy to live and work in our local area.
DCMS - Digital Leadership Fund - Guide Dogs for the Blind
£30,380 01/04/2019
Plan to expand the Guide Dogs Digital Transformation programme to digitally upskill their trustees and senior leadership. Includes e-learning and face to face workshops. Will enable Guide Dogs to ....more
Youth Music - Feel the Beat
£17,680 08/03/2019
Feel the Beat
DCMS - Digital Leadership Fund - Guide Dogs for the Blind
£51,224 01/01/2019
Plan to expand the Guide Dogs Digital Transformation programme to digitally upskill their trustees and senior leadership. Includes e-learning and face to face workshops. Will enable Guide Dogs to ....more
Suffolk Community Foundation - Raising awareness of dog attacks on assistance dogs
£9,187 12/12/2018
12
Towards raising awareness of attacks on assistance dogs.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Guide Dogs for the Blind MEDWAY BRANCH
£7,533 19/11/2018
We want to raise £5000 to name a guide dog puppy that will be walked, trained and work in this area.
Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland - Partnering one person in Newcastle with a life-changing guide dog
£3,300 16/05/2018
Partnering one person in Newcastle with a life-changing guide dog
National Lottery Community Fund - Troy club
£9,741 14/05/2018
12
This funding will be used to run activities for children and young people with visual impairments, aiming to make a positive impact on their learning and confidence.
National Lottery Community Fund - Guide Dogs - Family Focus
£700,000 16/09/2015
60
The five-year Northern Ireland wide Family Focus project is working with families with children aged up to four with a visual impairment who may also have additional health needs. The charity are ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (13)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 12/13 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 48-74
  • HELEN FARROW Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Non Executive Director
  • KATE CROFTS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Local Government Officer
  • KERRY SMALL Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Chief Operating Officer
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 08/11/1962, number: 209617
  • Registered at Companies House on 30/08/1934, number: 00291646
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Event History
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
19 returns made; all on time
Main office

GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND
ASSOCIATION
HILLFIELDS
READING ROAD
BURGHFIELD COMMON
RG7 3YG

Objectives

THE OBJECTS FOR WHICH THE ASSOCIATION IS ESTABLISHED ARE TO PROMOTE THE HEALTH, EQUALITY AND INDEPENDENCE OF BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE BY:(I) PROVIDING GUIDE DOGS FOR BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE; (II) TRAINING AND EDUCATING BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE IN THE USE OF SUCH GUIDE DOGS; (III) THE RELIEF, PREVENTION AND CURE OF VISION IMPAIRMENT; AND (IV) PROVIDING SUCH SERVICES, FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE AS THE ASSOCIATION SHALL FROM TIME TO TIME DEEM FIT

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

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