THE family of a Craven man who was cared for in the Critical Care unit at Airedale Hospital have made a special donation in his honour, so other families can sleep in comfort at the bedside.

Donald Heslop, from Skipton, died last year and the family wanted to show their gratitude and support for the unit by raising money for a chair which allows families to sit in comfort in the day and reclines into a bed for sleeping.

Mr Heslop's daughter Helen, said: “At the funeral we asked for donations instead of flowers and we used those to buy the chair. My father was a keen crown green bowler and country music fan and so there were lots of friends from every stage of Dad's life who came and we had so many donations. It was an absolutely lovely tribute to him.”

Mr Heslop's wife Brenda added: “The staff are brilliant at looking after their patients. They and their families have everything they need except somewhere comfortable to sleep at the bedside so this is where our idea came from, to make it easier for other relatives to stay with their loved ones when they are very ill.”