foresight north east lincolnshire ltd.
From its inception in 1999 Foresight has grown from a group of enthusiastic
volunteers with a mission to assist blind and partially sighted people to lead
more fulfilled lives, into a well respected mainstream support organisation
addressing the varied and complex needs of its clients. Demand for the services
of the organisation is such that Foresight has already grown out of its first
home and moved into a new improved premises. Whilst the organisation was
delivering a limited range of services under a variety of grant-funded schemes
these premises were adequate and indeed accommodated 10,000 visits last year.
Foresight, however, realised some time ago, that if it was going to continue to
grow and sustain itself in the future it needed to move away from grant
dependency towards becoming a deliverer of mainstream services. During extensive
market research with its client group, Foresight uncovered a massive range of
needs and untold areas of distress that were not being addressed by the
statutory authorities. After long negotiations with the local authority
Foresight were able to successfully tender for its first contract to deliver
services. These have proved so successful that the local authority has procured
additional services from the organisation. Foresight has also applied to several
external bodies for funding assistance on new projects and these are due to come
online very shortly. The only obstacle now in the way of the organisations'
expansion and sustainability is the building it occupies. It is not large enough
to accommodate the increasing number of its clients, is not adaptable to meet
the specialised needs of its clients and it cannot accommodate the new services
Foresight wish to offer its growing client base. This will shortly be addressed
as we establish a new base for the organisation that is fit for use and this
will be a major stand of the organisations move towards sustainability and away
from grant dependence. During its phenomenal growth Foresight has benefited from
the wide experience of its Trustees, who have supported the staff and volunteers
in growing the business in a sustainable and measured way and this experience
will stand the organisation in good stead during its next phase of growth.
