A partially sighted mother has raised just over £101 for a charity which has given her a new lease of life.

Carol Reil, 49, from Meadow Way in Hellesdon, hosted a fundraising coffee morning for the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind (NNAB) which supports her.

Mrs Reil said: 'The NNAB is like an extended family and has given me my independence and life back. When I was registered blind I felt like I had suffered a big bereavement.'

The former Salvation Army office worker was born with eyesight problems and now cannot see anything from her left eye and has difficulty seeing out of her right eye.

Mrs Reil, who volunteers for the NNAB, first received help from the charity four years ago and now takes part in arts sessions at its Magpie Road base.

The NNAB was set up 212 years ago and receives no statutory funding.