Charity records €4.6m loss as shops closed due to Covid 

NCBI has expanded its retail chain, with the addition of a further five stores.

The National Council for the Blind in Ireland said the closure of shops last year due to the onset of the pandemic led to an initial financial loss of €4.6m.

The charity has launched its annual report, in which it said it emerged from "uncertainty" and "increased social isolation" with its revenue streams intact.

NCBI chief executive Chris White said in the report: "The vulnerability of NCBI’s funding model came into stark relief in 2020.

The ongoing deficit in funding from HSE and reliance on revenue from our shops to make up this shortfall meant that the temporary closure of our shops for a total of 16 weeks led to a loss of €4.6m in sales and resulted in NCBI seeking a bailout from the HSE.

"Thankfully a combination of this bailout, restructuring of staff, recalibration of fundraising approaches, and buoyant sales when our shops reopened gave us a strong financial basis entering 2021."

Addition of a further five stores

The charity has since expanded its retail chain, with the addition of a further five stores. Last December saw the opening of the NCBI's first pop-up shop Re:Newed for NCBI, on Grafton Street in Dublin.

Other developments included a switch to delivering services virtually, which the charity said it managed "with ease due to the prior investment made in NCBI technology systems and staff".

It also introduced bespoke services such as the Connection Network in response to the heightened social isolation felt by service users due to lockdown restrictions.

The number of service users grew to 7,606 last year, compared to 6,921 in 2019; 70% of users are aged 66 or over.

NCBI Labs staff, who offer technical support and guidance to service users and their families, saw a significant 132% increase in their support activities during lockdown last year.

The charity is now celebrating its 90th year of operations and Chris White said: “For NCBI, I am proud that despite Covid-19 resulting in significant financial struggles, temporary staff lay-offs and shop closures, we continued to provide excellent support to people who are blind or vision -impaired across the country. It is this promise to constantly support, engage and empower those living with sight loss that will drive us for the next 90 years.”