A MULTI-award-winning Steeton company has collected another accolade.

Acorn Stairlifts has become the first winner of a new 'best contribution to the community' honour in the British Healthcare Trades Association awards.

The firm was presented with the prize at a glittering black-tie ceremony and dinner in London, hosted by TV and radio presenter Penny Smith.

"We're thrilled to be the inaugural winner of this award," said Nick Wilson, Acorn's European and UK operations director.

"It recognises our goal to be a socially responsible company through local and national partnerships with various charities and to offer practical help to people in exceptional circumstances.

"This approach is good for our company in so many ways and to win an award for it is the icing on the cake."

Judges praised Acorn's commitment to supporting good causes and the range of activities it undertook.

And they voiced the hope that more companies would follow its lead.

Acorn has a long-standing partnership with Oxenhope Sue Ryder hospice, Manorlands.

The company donates stairlifts for some patients and staff take part in a range of fundraising activities.

This year, they have coined-in about £23,000.

Acorn also has a national partnership with the Marie Curie charity, providing up to 60 stairlifts a year for patients across the UK.

The initiative enables people to stay in their own homes while being cared for by Marie Curie nurses, which in turn eases pressure for beds at the charity's network of hospices.

Acorn has donated specially-adapted wheelchair-accessible vehicles to both causes, enabling wheelchair-bound patients to access day services and therapies at the hospices.

Other community ventures supported by the company include a Wensleydale Flyer bus service in the Yorkshire Dales and it sponsors Steeton AFC.

The firm's latest honour comes hot on the heels of it picking up innovation and export titles in the regional EEF Future Manufacturing Awards.

The innovation award was given in recognition of Acorn's FastTrack system, which enables engineers to build and install bespoke curved stairlifts within hours.

The system has helped boost the firm's overseas business, particularly in America, where Acorn is now the established market leader.

More than 60,000 stairlifts a year are built at the company's factories in Steeton and Scotland and products are exported to 84 countries worldwide.

About two-thirds of Acorn's near £150m annual turnover comes from export sales.