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Sixty years ago, Leonard Cheshire was a national hero. A former RAF fighter pilot who received the Victoria Cross for his courage, Cheshire was later revered as much for his war record as for the eponymous charity he founded in 1948 after learning that an acquaintance was terminally ill. In those pre-NHS days, Cheshire invited the acquaintance to stay at his Hampshire house where he nursed the man until he died, by which time 23 other people had moved in and were being cared for.

In today's celebrity-obsessed society, only one in five people under 35 actually recognise the name Leonard Cheshire, and even fewer associate it with one of the country's biggest charities, which supports more than 20,000 people with services ranging from respite care to employment training. Most are also unaware of the breadth of the charity's work in the UK and 50 other countries.

With the charity's diamond anniversary approaching next year, it has embarked upon a rebranding to retain the name but also make it work with disability matters. 'We want to promote our values and issues, which are all about changing society's attitude to disability,' explains Judith Barnard, communications director at Leonard Cheshire.

The charity employed London-based agency Lambie-Nairn, which has created a more contemporary look that should appeal to younger people without alienating older supporters. The new square logo places the emphasis on the word 'ability', which - the charity hopes - will 'quickly and powerfully' get across its belief that 'society should recognise and embrace' the abilities of disabled people.

'Disabled people are still invisible to many in society,' points out Bryan Dutton, director general of Leonard Cheshire. 'Our new look and feel will help us to campaign vigorously to change how society thinks about, and responds to, disability. By doing this we intend to have a positive impact on the lives of millions of disabled people in the UK and abroad. Leonard Cheshire Disability allows us to spell out what we do very clearly and keep hold of our history at the same time.' The rebranding will be launched next month, alongside a public awareness campaign that should challenge and change people's attitudes to disability.

'We not only wish to raise the profile of the charity but also, and more importantly, we want to gain wider public understanding of disability issues,' says Barnard. 'Disability is far too low down the public agenda. We want to meet these joint objectives in the most effective way possible.

'Relaunching with a new name and look and a campaign to change public attitudes will go a long way toward helping people understand who we are and what we do, as well as helping them engage with disability issues.'

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