A sight loss charity has announced plans to transfer one-third of its services to a fellow charity after it failed to raise £2m in an emergency appeal.
Vista, which is registered as the Royal Leicestershire, Rutland and Wycliffe Society for the Blind, said it would transfer its statutory services to BID Services on 6 May.
The charity, which is more than 160 years old, said the move came after it failed to reach the level of funding required to secure its long-term future.
The charity launched an emergency appeal in February, which aimed to secure the £2m it needed before the end of March to avoid closure.
At the time, Vista said it did not have the cash reserves it needed to continue operating long enough to recover its financial position.
The appeal’s JustGiving page, which has now closed, only raised £25,553 of the £2m target.
Vista recorded an income of £3.9m and spending of £5.8m in the year to the end of March 2025.
Its income was between £7m and £8m from 2021 to 2024 before the decrease in its latest accounts, which covers a period when the charity stopped providing residential care services.
This resulted in staff numbers falling from an average of 157 people in 2024/25 to just 36, a spokesperson for the charity previously told Third Sector.
In an announcement, Jean Voller, chair of Vista, said the support it received in response to its emergency appeal “has meant more than we can fully express”, but the charity said it had not reached the level of funding required to secure its long-term future in its current form.
The charity announced it will transfer its statutory services to BID Services, a charity that provides specialist support to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired or deafblind.
The transfer of the statutory services, which amount to a third of the charity’s total services, will take place on 6 May and service users affected by the change will be contacted by BID Services in the coming weeks.
Vista has 35 staff but the number of staff transferring to BID is yet to be finalised, a spokesperson for the charity said.
The spokesperson declined to comment on whether any redundancies would be made or whether Vista would close following the transfer.
The charity said it was exploring options with potential partners to help safeguard its other, non-statutory services, which include children and young people, tech together, community meet-ups and Vista shops.
Vista said funds raised through its emergency appeal will enable support for people affected by sight loss in the immediate term and as the charity works through the transition period.
Gail Penberthy, chief executive of BID Services, said: “We are deeply saddened by Vista’s news as it has long been a well-respected provider of specialist services for those with sight impairments and has given a great deal to its community.
“We have huge shoes to fill and are working closely with Vista’s staff team and the local councils to ensure we can continue their legacy and ensure that the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland continue to receive the high-quality, specialist support they are used to.”