Princess Anne praises 'remarkable' charity team

Princess Anne said the "key to celebrating 50 years" was taking time to think where victims would be if the charity had not existed

The Princess Royal has visited a charity to celebrate the organisation's 50th anniversary of supporting victims of crime.

Princess Anne is the president of Victim Support, which was founded in Bristol in 1974 by a group of activists who felt victims were being forgotten by the criminal justice system.

Today, the charity helps about 140,000 people every year who have been impacted by domestic abuse, sexual violence, fraud, hate crime and other offences, as well as supporting those who were bereaved by murder or manslaughter.

The princess congratulated staff and volunteers for their "remarkable service", and said it was "a pleasure to be involved" with the charity.

Princess Anne met charity staff and volunteers during her visit

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. 

It provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day, whether victims have reported the crime to police or not.

Martyn, 57, was violently attacked after he intervened to stop a man from strangling a woman outside his home.

The assault left him with life-threatening injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I am not a victim anymore because I’ve been given back my pride and quality of life from Victim Support," he said.

“Our family will never be able to say ‘thank you’ enough. They restored my feeling of worth which I thought had gone."

Volunteer Francis Wakem said he felt Princess Anne was "an expert" on the charity's ethos

Francis Wakem has been a volunteer with Victim Support for more than 35 years, during which time the former police chief superintendent has helped to raise more than £160,000 for the charity.

After joining the police force as a teenager, Mr Wakem remembers being told to slow down while on a callout to a domestic abuse case, because "it's only a domestic and they will sort it out themselves".

He said: "I began questioning, why is it that victims are the ones that live in fear?Victims and witnesses were supposed to be at the heart of the criminal justice system.

“So on retirement from the police service, I looked to Victim Support to help me get the best outcome for victims of crime and I’ve been volunteering ever since.”

Mr Wakem said it had been an honour to meet Princess Anne, and he felt she had exhibited a level of expertise on the charity's ethos.

"Her knowledge of Victim Support is absolutely tremendous, but what comes across from her as well is the warmth, the complete understanding of the impact of crime on individual people," he added.

Katie Kempen said Victim Support had been "a lifeline to many millions"

Katie Kempen, chief executive at Victim Support, said the princess had watched the charity "grow and evolve" into what it was today.

"She's been our president since we were tiny, way back in 1989," she said.

"Having her here is a symbol of how far we've come, and it's a really valuable opportunity to thank our volunteers, staff and the community we work in."

She added: "We're all a piece in the puzzle of recovering from trauma."