The first family to benefit from the project are Tim and Tracey Clarke, who live on a houseboat after financial difficulties forced the sale of the family home.

Tracey, who retains just 2% of her eyesight and will receive £600pm from the campaign, said: “We sold our house and bought a narrowboat, which is a much cheaper and more relaxed way of living. It is just about manageable on benefits but this additional money from 7 Families could be life changing.”

“Although I never had any functional vision in my left eye from birth it had never caused a problem. I drove a car, held an advanced driving licence, had a career as a Pharmacy Technician and did a lot of artwork. Then in 2011 my eyesight began to shut down completely for no diagnosed reason. There is no way that we could have afforded to keep the house and we were facing bankruptcy, but the 7 Families project is going to make an immense difference to us. Amongst other things I will be able to buy a laptop with the necessary specialist software that will allow me to work again. I then hope to begin to build a path into writing and publishing, which I can do from the boat.”