THE inventor of a life-saving decorating tool is helping to raise money for cancer research by donating £5 for each one sold until Christmas.

Steeve Betsy, who invented a strap-on-the waist paint pot holder to help both professional and amateur decorators be safer when climbing step-ladders, has seen cancer hit his own friends and family and decided on a novel way to fight back.

Steeve, based in Ringwood, decided to produce a special pink edition of the unique Betsy Paint Mate which he and his wife Emma created.

For each pink-coloured Betsy Paint Mate sold throughout the festive season, Steeve’s company will hand over £5 to Cancer Research UK.

Steeve said: “I have seen what effect cancer can have on family and friends so we decided that as the product is selling so well, we could make a statement which might inspire others and raise welcome funds for research into this killer disease.”

The Betsy Paint Mate was created after Steeve had an accident on a ladder.

It made Steeve and Emma, an interior designer, put their heads together to develop a product to reduce the risk to people using step-ladders or ladders while holding paint pots.

The couple came up with the Betsy Paint Mate after noticing how the contours of a simple Frisbee offered the ideal shape to hold a substantial tin of paint when strapped round the waist.

Emma said: “After a few sketches and experiments we came up with the ideal solution, which we called the Betsy Paint Mate.

"Statistics show that 57 per cent of ladder accidents occurred when the victim was holding an object in one or both hands, while climbing a ladder or stepladder. Some of these falls - about three a year in the UK - are fatal.

“The Betsy Paint Mate removes the temptation for anyone to climb a step ladder while holding a paint tin and brush. It’s a simple idea which has been tried and tested and is already saving lives.”

Recently the decorating skills department at The Bournemouth and Poole College took delivery of a complimentary batch of Betsy Paint Mates.

Lord Scott James Oliver, course lecturer at the college, praised the Betsy Paint Mate and said students were impressed by its simplicity and how practical it was.

“It gives them much more confidence. It’s a fabulous idea and one that works," he said.