A charity has announced it is ‘cutting’ services – but it is not what you might think.

Age UK is launching a service for over 50s in Ilkley enabling them to have their toenails cut for a nominal fee in a bid to help improve their quality of life.

But to get the scheme – called Happy Feet – up and running charity bosses are looking for volunteers to help out.

The initiative is being run with help from the podiatry team at Bradford District Trust and Joanna Hammond, who is a health promotion specialist for the trust, will be training up volunteers.

She said: “We are looking for volunteers who care about older people in the community and want to do something to help their quality of life.”

The non-profit scheme is coming to the Clarke Foley Centre in Cunliffe Road, Ilkley, after a successful pilot in Bradford earlier this year.

It has been designed to help older people who have trouble cutting their own nails or have no-one to help.

Joanna will be training volunteers to perform basic nail cutting services.

She says it is an important aspect of care and can help prevent health problems developing.

Users will be charged £5 for the service and £7 to pay for a nail care kit, which they can keep and bring back each time they need a trim.

A full medical history and foot examination will be carried out on people wanting to access the service before they are allowed to use it. There will be no podiatry services provided, just nail cutting, Miss Hammond said.

The service is expected to be up and running after Christmas following an open day event beforehand.

To volunteer, or for more details and information, e-mail Joanna Hammond at joanna.hammond@bdct.nhs.uk.