The future of a 160-year-old sight loss charity is unclear after most of its staff transferred to another organisation following an unsuccessful fundraising appeal.
Earlier this year, Vista, founded in 1859, determined that £2m was needed by the end of March to keep it afloat.
After raising £25,600, Vista announced that the remainder of its statutory provision would transfer to fellow east Midlands-based charity BID Services, with 14 of its 35 employees moving across.
However, BID Services has now confirmed that 21 of Vista’s staff eventually moved between the charities as some of its community services were also transferred over.
BID announced last month that these services would fully transfer to it on 6 May to become Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Sensory Services.
These services include rehabilitation, day opportunities, eye clinic liason and certificate of visual impairment registration.
A spokesperson for Vista would not confirm whether it now planned to close but said the transfer to BID was “progressing well.”
Longterm financial challenges
Vista has been recording annual operating deficits of more than £1m for several years.
It completed a strategic exit from providing residential care services at a loss last year in an attempt to address this problem.
The charity recorded an income of £3.91m and an expenditure of £5.77m in the year to March 2025, but this has dwindled since it exited residential care services.
That year it employed 157 people on average.
BID Services, by contrast, has seen its income increase year-on-year since 2020-21.
It posted an income of £6.57m in the year to March 2025, above its expenditure of £6.27m, with £3.02m from government contracts.
