The VICTA logo which is a rainbow and text saying 'Empowering blind children and young adults'Each week we are going to be saying “Hello” to another organisation in the VI world to learn more about who they are and what they do.

This week, we are chatting to Charlotte Mellor (Projects and Programmes Administrator) and Luke Wakefield (Head of Activities and Strategic Programmes) from VICTA.

So, Hi Charlotte and Luke, please can you tell us all about VICTA: 

We are a national charity that provides support to blind and partially sighted children and young adults (aged 0 to 29) and their families. Through our activities we empower them by instilling confidence, promoting independence, combating isolation, building future employability skills, and growing support networks.

2 young girls with helmets and harnesses on taking part in an outdoor activity

We offer lots of different activities for different age groups. We have:

  • Early Years Days (aged 0 to 4)
  • Family Activities (aged 0 to 17)
  • Pre-teen Activities (aged 10 to 13)
  • Youth Activities (aged 14 to 17)
  • Young Adult Activities (aged 18 to 29)

We also have a Youth Expeditions Programme (aged 14 to 17), including the Duke of Edinburgh and John Muir Award, plus a Young Ambassadors Programme (aged 18 to 29) and an Alumni Group (aged over 30).

We offer grants for Assistive Technology and help with transitions from primary school to secondary school; from secondary school to college or university; and from education to employment.

For parents and carers we have ‘The VICTA Parent Portal’ which is a one stop information hub with resources, stories and opportunities to connect.

What activities have you been offering during lockdown?

We’ve been really busy delivering lots of online events including a Summer Festival featuring art, music, cooking, entertainment and more; ‘VICTA Lates’ featuring live comedy and music for over 18’s; and, most recently, a Science Fair featuring experiments, challenges and Q&A’s with professionals working within the field of science and technology.

What activities do you have coming up?

On Saturday 20th March we are having our first Virtual Parent Wellbeing Retreat. There will be presentations, demonstrations and workshops, all with a focus on mental health, plus a live wellbeing panel event.

A logo saying 'Virtual Parent Wellbeing Retreat'

We are also continuing to work with The Money Charity and have our next workshop on Wednesday 7th April (at 1pm) which will be focusing on identity fraud and money safety.

We will hopefully be able to resume some face-to-face activities later in the year and maybe even try some goalball!

How can we find out more information? 

You can contact us by phone (01908 240831) or email You can also visit our website or follow us on social media:

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