FOUR young people with severe learning difficulties have moved into their own home in North Yorkshire thanks to a £10 million charity project to help disabled people live independently.

Friends Claire Donaldson, James Wilkinson, Lizzie Searle and Sarah Gibson are the first people in the UK to benefit from the scheme run by Golden Lane Housing, the housing arm of the Mencap charity.

The four are now living together in the specially adapted bungalow in Easingwold, where they receive support from Mencap carers.

James’s father, Ged, said: “We always wanted our children to live as independently as possible.

“When James was about 14 we started planning for his future and we were very clear that we wanted the four children to be able to live together.”

He said: “We’re no spring chickens and we have to go out and work during the day. James has very little concept of danger, and can be very impulsive so I worry about him. It’s good to know he has a secure future in safe hands.”

Golden Lane Housing launched the bond scheme in February and has already attracted more than £8m in total from investors who each put forward £2,000 or over.

The Easingwold house is the first of up to 30 houses that will be acquired and adapted for people with a learning disabilities using money raised from the bond.

Mencap says a shortage of social housing means just one-in-three people with a learning disability live independently and many are sent to live in residential homes, away from their friends and families.

Alastair Graham, director of Golden Lane Housing, said: “The huge demand for this bond shows that there is a real appetite among individual investors in social investment.

“We are now looking for more institutional investors to come on board, and make a real, tangible difference to the lives of people with a learning disability, many of whom are currently excluded from the housing market.”