ENGLAND footballers are helping a Stourbridge woman to give a further kick to a fund she is raising for her sick brother-in-law, who is facing a terrible illness.

Glynis Palmer has already raised at least £9,349 towards making life a little easier for 62-year-old Paul Whyley, who has motor neurone disease.

She has also travelled to Norfolk to pick up a motorised wheelchair and a car hoist for the Hagley grandfather after a well-wisher there heard about his plight, which was first highlighted in the Stourbridge News.

Now the England side has sent a football shirt signed by stars including Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka for Mrs Palmer to auction to top up the fund.

"It has arrived out of the blue after a friend contacted the England team," said Mrs Palmer, aged 63, of Mountain Ash Drive, Pedmore.

"I'm over the moon about it - it should raise quite a bit as the shirt alone would cost £90, even without all the England players' signatures on it.

"There is also a certificate to authenticate it."

Mrs Palmer is now inviting anyone wanting to bid for the shirt to contact her on 07791 293131 - with a starting price of £150.

Mr Whyley is being cared for at his home in Stourbridge Road, Hagley, by his wife of 40 years, Jayne, aged 59.

A stair lift purchased after a fete organised by Mrs Palmer at Greenfield Primary School, Stourbridge, which raised £2,500, is already helping the couple.

And a fund-raising website has also raised £5,750, with some individuals donating as much as £500.

Mr Whyley's story made national headlines after the Stourbridge News revealed that he realised he had motor neurone disease while watching the award-winning film "The Theory of Everything", which chapters scientist Stephen Hawking's own fight against the same condition.

Mr Whyley, whose job used to be supplying and installing blinds, mentally clicked off his own symptoms against those listed in the film but said nothing to his wife.

Two weeks later he was diagnosed with the condition, which progressively damages parts of the nervous system and leads to muscle weakness.

World-famous physicist Mr Hawking, who has defied the odds to live with motor neurone disease for 50 years, has many aids and adaptations to help him to cope, including his famous voice machine and motorised wheelchair.

But Mr and Mrs Whyley are having to struggle as best they can - and, as a result of the publicity about them, donations have poured in from all over the country to help to buy aids and adaptations.

Mrs Palmer was contacted by someone in Norwich, who wanted to donate a second-hand motorised wheelchair and a hoist to make it easier for Mr Whyley to get into the family car.

Mr Whyley is now able to use the wheelchair in his home but cannot yet take it outside because it would be unable to negotiate the gravelled driveway.

Arrangements are being made for the hoist to be fitted to the car.

Asda at Netherton has contacted Mrs Palmer to offer £200 towards equipment.

Mrs Whyley said she and her husband had been "speechless" at the scale of the response.