DONATIONS to a charity are on the up thanks to a stairlift company.

Acorn Stairlifts is giving £10 to Marie Curie for every stairlift it installs over a six-week period.

The firm – based at the Millennium Business Park in Station Road, Steeton – hopes the initiative will raise £20,000.

Its target amount would cover the cost of 1,000 hours of expert care from Marie Curie nurses.

The venture is the latest in a series of activities staged as part of a partnership between Acorn and the charity, which was forged in 2016.

Up to 60 stairlifts a year are installed for free by the company, to help Marie Curie patients with a terminal illness be cared for in their own homes.

Among those to benefit is Emily Binks, 72, who was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer and had a stairlift installed when negotiating stairs became a near-impossible task.

"Before the stairlift was fitted I had to face unendurable pain to climb the stairs on all fours and then take one step at a time to get down," she said.

"My husband would have the exhausting task of helping me up the stairs before he left the house, meaning we always had to plan and think ahead. It was so restricting and took away much of our freedom."

But Mrs Binks said the stairlift had transformed her life.

"I have no fear going up the stairs now," she added.

"It has completely changed our lives. Any worries of falling have been lifted and I have no restrictions on when I can go upstairs."

Charlotte Scurrah, corporate development manager at Marie Curie, pays tribute to Acorn's "fantastic" support.

She said: "The company's latest very-generous initiative will go a long way to helping us provide care for more people living with a terminal illness and their families.

"Acorn Stairlifts’ support throughout our partnership has been fantastic and we’re thrilled to see the positive impact it has had on so many people by enabling them to be cared for in their own homes.

"It is so rewarding to see the relief that stairlifts provide and we’re looking forward to changing more lives together."

Caren Larkman-Ayre, Acorn's national sales manager, said the firm was "very proud" to be giving its backing.

"Marie Curie is a charity that does amazing work caring for people during exceptionally difficult times," she added.

"Since our partnership began, we have installed more than 150 stairlifts for people living with a terminal illness, enabling them to be cared for at home and helping them to make the most of the time they have with their loved ones.

"Every stairlift sold during the six weeks will not only help the person benefitting from its installation, but also the thousands of people across the UK who Marie Curie cares for."

The six-week initiative begins on Monday (Apr 29).