Caring colleagues are rallying round to help a Wantage couple improve the quality of life for their seven-month-old son.

Harvey Blowfield, of Challow, was born with a rare, incurable eye disease, which means he will be blind for the rest of his life.

But staff at estate agent Dreweatt Neate, where his mum Wende works as a negotiator, have launched an appeal to buy him specialist equipment.

The mother of three said although she had a difficult pregnancy, the diagnosis of Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) was a shock to her and husband Tim.

"One of the problems associated with the blindness is rapid movement of the eyes," she said. "We thought it was wind, but then he wasn't following anything we were showing him. That's when we took him to the doctor and they started the investigations."

Harvey has undergone tests to see whether organs such as the heart, liver, kidney or nervous system have also been affected. Doctors believe the disorder may be linked to his eight-year-old sister Briony's epilepsy and motor skill problems.

"LCA is a very rare condition. There's only a handful of people with it," said Mrs Blowfield. "There's no cure and the doctors have said there's nothing we can do. It's really a case of looking out for other problems as he grows up, but we will do everything we can for him. That's why we really appreciate Dreweatt Neate doing this for him."

Harvey's fund will help to buy equipment such as a £350 braille machine and a sensory board which costs £1,000. Donations have already arrived, ranging from £5 from a pensioner to more than £100 from other estate agents.

Fundraising will kick off with an evening of beauty advice and a raffle in the Dreweatt Neate office in Market Place, Wantage, on Dickensian Evening on December 6. Future events will include a sponsored walk.

Dreweatt Neate office manager Tim Barton said it was a marvellous opportunity to show support.

"There is currently no treatment for LCA so we would like to help with specialist equipment to try and help improve the quality of life for the baby," he said.

For more appeal details call 01235 772233.