We love to hear how our Acorn Stairlifts have an uplifting effect on our customers’ daily lives, but it’s rare that we get feedback as poetry!
That’s what happened this week, when prolific poet Tony Fuller sent us a beautifully crafted ode to his Acorn 180 Curved Stairlift, which he’s been using at his home in Bridport, Dorset, for the past four years.
Sadly, Tony’s beloved wife of 46 years, Pamela, died on March 9th this year after receiving wonderful care in Dorchester's Joseph Weld Hospice for the last nine weeks of her life. Keen to give something back to the hospice, Tony – who's been writing poetry since he was a boy – decided on a project to keep himself busy now that he’s living alone during the coronavirus lockdown.
In May he began filming himself reading some of his poems and, with the help of a friend, learned how to post the videos on his own YouTube channel, which you can visit by clicking here. Over time he hopes to record all of his 300-plus poems, which he describes as “poems from the heart that cover all subjects in life”.
He’s also launched a JustGiving fundraiser page, so that people who enjoy his poetry can make an online donation if they wish to do so. He's set a fundraising target of £1,600, with all the money going to the Joseph Weld Hospice. You can visit Tony’s JustGiving page by clicking here.
Tony, who is 87, said: “Poetry allows me to express myself in a way that I can’t do if I’m just talking to someone. I can talk about my feelings and thoughts, and it gives me so much freedom.”
Talking about his YouTube project, he added: “I want to reach out to others who might be in isolation, suffering from grief or lonely too. Poetry is so good for the heart and soul and if I can show others that it may work for them too, that’s just brilliant. By putting my poems on YouTube, hopefully they will continue to raise funds for the hospice after I am no longer here.”
You can read Tony’s poem about his Acorn Stairlift below and, as a token of appreciation, we’ll be making a £100 donation to the Joseph Weld Hospice.
Acorns (the stairlift that grows on you)
They say that great big oak trees
From little acorns grow
But there is another Acorn
Which I think that you should know
It helps with all your aches and pains
Your hips, your legs, your knees
Living is more comfortable
And life becomes a breeze
This Acorn drives the fear away
And helps relieve the pain
No longer stuck ‘on just one floor’
You can ‘go upstairs again’
This Acorn is a stairlift
Designed for folks like you
So you can live your life once more
The way you used to do
It’s safe, it’s comfortable as well
A stairlift will make your day
You have your freedom once again
A ‘gift’ in every way
And if you have a different need
You feel, your life would ease
Just tell us what your problems are
Our staff all ‘aim to please’
So now you have your stairlift
There’s no need to explain
With your foresight and Acorn’s help
You’re independent once again
This stairlift is the gift of life
It sets you in the groove
You never have to leave your house
No, you don’t have to move
So praise the lord for Acorn
Give thanks to him above
And now that you have peace of mind
Enjoy the home you love
I’m eighty-seven years of age
I’m sure that you won’t mind
When I say my stairlift chair is comfortable
And the safest one you’ll find.