It is with regret that we announce, our Chief Executive Tracie Tappenden, will be leaving the Charity in October this year. In her role as Chief Executive, Tracie has been an integral part of the charity and has been instrumental in steering it through its development over the past ten years and indeed over the many more years that she has been associated with VICTA as a Mum, as a volunteer and as an employee.
While we have come a long way since our early days, our ethos of empowering individuals has never changed. Drawing on her own personal experiences, Tracie’s early focus was on helping families to fight for the provision they needed for their children. She knew first-hand the emotional and practical challenges of raising a blind child. Recognising the power of sharing, Tracie introduced our first Family Weekend as an opportunity for families to come together, learn from each other and break the cycle of isolation. It is those principles that still underpin all our activities, which have since grown to include our Early Years Weekend, two annual Family Weekends, Youth Activity Challenges, Cultural City Breaks and International Expeditions.

From being our first full-time member of staff to heading up a team of seven, Tracie has been a real advocate for the Charity and has played a large part in raising our profile. I wish to thank Tracie on behalf of the Trustees of the Charity for all her hard work, commitment and dedication over the years. Personally and on behalf of the members of the Trustee Board, we wish her every success in her future position and hope that she will always be comfortable in the knowledge that she leaves a legacy that provides the perfect platform for the future growth of VICTA.

Pamela Lewis
Chair, VICTA Board of Trustees