The History of Vista

The first meeting

The first recorded discussion in Leicester about the need to 'do something' to alleviate the sufferings of those who were blind took place in 1858 when Robert Mackley, a blind man residing in the town, persuaded a local solicitor to ask the then Lord Mayor, Doctor Joseph William Noble, to organise a meeting to discuss the matter.  By the end of the Victorian era Robert Mackley had a hardworking fundraising committee, a workshop for blind people together with a retail shop.

As the 20th Century dawned the association opened a new headquarters, in time to celebrate the first 50 years of the associations work. By this time there were 188 people 'on the register' in Leicestershire with 32 blind people in the workshop.

In 1920 the Lord Mayor, Alderman Jabez Chaplin launched a fund to build a new workshop, within two years enough had been raised to start construction. 

In 1932 the work of the society was recognised when King George V gave permission for the to use of the word 'Royal' in the title and so the official name then became the Royal Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Incorporated Institution for the Blind.

Vista!

In 2001 chief executive, Gordon Diffey, set about re-branding and re-vitalising the Society and a key element in this process was to re-name the Society.  A decision was made to find a new working name that would be shorter and which could be designed into a new logo that would fit in with modern marketing and branding techniques. A competition was organised across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland asking people to submit ideas for a new name.

Vista, which is not an acronym, has been chosen and a logo in orange and blue designed. Vista provides invaluable support in times of change and has maintained its presence in three centuries. 

In 2008 Vista celebrated 150 years of outstanding support and guidance to visually impaired people. We held a highly successful Black Tie Dinner in June and then our ‘See Beyond the Vision’ event in October was enjoyed by 450 members and guests, with an inspirational speech by blind business entrepreneur Amar Latif.

In 2008 the UK Vision Strategy was launched and Vista is taking the lead on its implementation in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

In 2009 Vista started a full strategic review, to enable Vista to move forward and meet the needs of people with sight loss in ways appropriate to the environment in the 21st century. The final result will be a strategic plan which will form the basis of a new Business Plan for implementation from April 2010.

  

Light amid the shadows

A comprehensive account of Vista's past can be found within our book titled 'Light amid the Shadows' by Derek Seaton. Published by Brookside Press Ltd ISBN 0 9524267 0 6.   If you would like a copy please contact 0116 249 8801.