A PRIMARY school teacher from St Albans was the first person to invest in a savings bond to help people with learning disabilities find homes.

Ms Margaret Stone, who teaches at Garden Fields JMI School in St Albans, is the first to buy a bond issued by Mencap's Golden Lane Housing, which aims to raise more than £4 million to provide life-long housing for those with learning difficulties.

It is the first time in the UK that a major charity has issued such a bond, launched in conjunction with Triodos Bank, a leading ethical savings and investment bank.

Ms Stone paid £1,000 for ten bonds.

She said: "I have a friend whose daughter, Belinda, has severe and complex disabilities as a result of a smallpox vaccination she had as a baby.

"I know what a real difference it made to her parents knowing that Belinda had somewhere safe and secure to live for the rest of her life especially when they were no longer able to care for her."

Mencap's research reveals that around 29,000 adults with severe learning disabilities live with an elderly relative, but that just one in four local autorities are beginning to plan provisions for when parents are no longer able to look after them.

The money that is invested in the bonds will be used to buy homes and in return the investor will receive a yearly financial return and their initial investment back at the end of ten years.

Investors can view a copy of the prospectus by visiting http://www.triodos.co.uk.