A charity set up 30 years ago to support families impacted by child exploitation has renamed itself after its late founder.

From this month Leeds based Pace (Parents Against Child Exploitation) will be known by its new identity, the Ivison Trust, in memory of its founder Irene Ivison.

Ivison set up the charity following the murder in 1993 of her daughter Fiona. The children's rights campaigner died seven years later.

The charity found that its previous name “was becoming a barrier” following consultation with staff, supporters and beneficiaries.

This consultation revealed that the name no longer reflected the wide range of families it supports “whether they are parents, carers or grandparents”.

“It is so important that our inclusivity is synonymous with our visual identity”.

The charity’s chief executive Lindsay Dalton added: “Our pioneering founder, Irene Ivison fought for the rights of exploited children following the tragic murder of her daughter Fiona.

“Honouring the memory of Irene and Fiona with the Ivison Trust name and our new identity brings into focus our guiding purpose to keep children safe from exploitation and fight to improve the systems that exist to protect them.

“Symbolising both Fiona and Irene in our logo celebrates the strength and love between a parent and her child because that will always be at the heart of our work.

“They stand strong together in our identity, because we know exploiters will do everything they can to break that bond and Ivison Trust will do everything we can to protect and rebuild it.”

The charity has been working with agency Design Project on its new branding for the last year.

“The new brand has been designed to reflect the strength of parents and carers living with child exploitation and the critical need to protect every child from this form of abuse,” the Trust said.

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