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Dogs' best friend creates charity calendar

BBC Tim Hart smiles as he holds up a large calendar. He is showing the page for June, which includes four photos of dogs. Mr Hart is standing in front of a canal and wearing a grey flat cap, a blue fleece and a white T-shirt.BBC
Tim Hart with a page from his calendar of the dogs he treats

A man who befriended more than 100 dogs on his daily walks has photographed them for a charity calendar.

Tim Hart enjoys making furry friends by feeding them the treats he keeps in his pocket during strolls around Beverley Beck, East Yorkshire.

The calendar will raise money for the Candlelighters cancer charity, after Mr Hart heard the story of a young girl, Aalia, also from East Yorkshire, who has a rare condition called Wilms tumour.

He said: "The poor girl is only four and can't do anything to help herself, but we can."

Photos of dogs are shown on the page of a calendar marked "APR". Captions name the dogs as Flora, Peanut and Sam.
Peanut and Sam are the poster boys for April

Candlelighters, which has been helping children affected by cancer for nearly 50 years, has been supporting Aalia and her family.

Mr Hart does not own a dog himself because he lives in an apartment where pets are not allowed.

Instead, he has become extremely popular with the dogs he meets on his daily walks.

A woman with long, curly blond hair holds her black Labrador dog by a red lead. They are crouching on a footpath by green grass and shrubs.
Sarah Hill and her labrador Flora meet Mr Hart on his walks

Sarah Hill, who runs a local dog-boarding business, said: "All the dogs absolutely love him."

She described the charity as a "really worthy cause".

Another local dog-walker, Simon Heath, described the calendar as a brilliant idea.

He said his dogs Maeve and Maisy were usually really well-behaved, until they saw Tim and ran up to get their treats.

"It just sums up the Beverley Beck dog-walking area," he added. "It's a really nice community."

Two men wearing warm clothes and hats smile for the camera as they each hold a brown dog. They are standing on a footpath on a sunny day with a canal and bridge in the background.
Mr Hart (right) with Maeve and Maisy and their owner Simon Heath

Mr Hart said every penny of the £7 he is charging for the calendar would go to the charity.

Anyone who wants a calendar can find him on social media, or during his walks around Beverley Beck.

Tom Robertshaw, the head of fundraising for Candlelighters, said: "Families face huge challenges when their child is diagnosed, and we provide a wide range of emotional, practical and financial support to help lighten the load.

"This support is only possible thanks to the fantastic fundraising efforts of individuals, businesses and communities from across the region.

"Brilliant people like Tim are the ones who ensure that families don't face this journey alone and we are so grateful for this support."

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