Based in West Yorkshire, Acorn Stairlifts has always tried to give something back to the community that has nurtured our growth and success. More recently, we have become involved in national initiatives, reflecting our status as a leading British company and exporter. Find out about Acorn Stairlifts’ community commitment below:
Close to its Yorkshire base, Acorn has a longstanding relationship with its local Manorlands Hospice, run by the Sue Ryder charity. It has donated more than 25 stairlifts to patients receiving care from Manorlands and other local hospices, enabling them to stay in their own homes for longer.
"Acorn and Sue Ryder are both incredibly committed to helping people feel comfortable and independent in their own homes. With Acorn’s regular free stairlifts to Manorlands Hospice, we’ve been able to make this happen for even more of our patients."
Lizzie Procter Hospice Director at Manorlands
As well as donating stairlifts, Acorn has recently supplied two Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs); one to the Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice and the other to the Marie Curie Hospice for the West Midlands. Driven by volunteers, these specially adapted vehicles enable wheelchair dependent patients to access a range of day services and therapies offered at the hospices. The two WAVs are on long-term loan from us and we’re covering all the insurance, road tax and servicing costs.
Hoping to extend this practical help for people in need, Acorn has also entered a national partnership with Marie Curie, the UK-wide charity providing care and support for people living with terminal illness, and their families. This new initiative will see up to 60 Acorn Stairlifts per year installed free of charge for Marie Curie patients across the UK, enabling them to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. It grew from an existing relationship with Acorn's local Marie Curie Hospice, at Bradford.
"Corporate support from local businesses is so important to any charity, but to see this incredibly generous partnership between Acorn Stairlifts and Marie Curie Bradford grow into a national initiative, which will impact on so many families across the country, is fantastic."
Christine Hamilton-Stewart, MBE, Marie Curie
It’s not just on the stairs that Acorn is supporting people’s mobility and freedom to explore. At the beginning of 2017 we became sponsor of the Acorn Wensleydale Flyer, a lifeline bus service running on a 40-mile route through the Yorkshire Dales on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Popular with visitors during the summer months, the Flyer also provides a valuable year-round service to people living in the isolated communities along its route between Northallerton and Hawes. About three-quarters of the Flyer’s regular users are local people, many without their own transport. When Acorn Stairlifts heard this vital service was under threat from lack of funding, we were delighted to step in and keep the Wensleydale Flyer running.
"I wholeheartedly welcome the support of Acorn Stairlifts which has secured the future of the Acorn Wensleydale Flyer serving the public on Sundays and Bank Holidays. It is of enormous value to the local communities I represent, visitors to the Upper Dales and the local economy of our surrounding villages."
John Blackie, Upper Dales councillor