Steve the stag's a big charity hit

A former Fylde coast man who is terminally ill and a group of close pals are raising funds for two good causes - with the help of a magnificent wild stag.
Steve the Stag, as photographed on the edge of Loch Lomond by Doug Naylor.Steve the Stag, as photographed on the edge of Loch Lomond by Doug Naylor.
Steve the Stag, as photographed on the edge of Loch Lomond by Doug Naylor.

It began when business man Doug Naylor, who was running a kitchen and bathroom shop in Fleetwood, was diagnosed with kidney cancer and told he had just months to live.

After this life-changing development last year, Doug, 48, decided to close the business, marry his long-term partner, Lynne, and re-locate from Thornton to a static caravan close to Loch Lomond, in the Scottish Highlands.

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At the camp site, one of the regular visitors was the stag, dubbed Steve by the residents, and Doug took dozens of pictures of the animal and other scenes.

Doug NaylorDoug Naylor
Doug Naylor

When he showed them to pals, they were impressed - and the idea for a ‘Steve the Stag’ 2019 calendar was born.

So far copies have raised more than £1,000 for Doug’s chosen charities - Trinity Hospice and Cancer Research UK, with all of the £8 price being split between the two causes.

The calandars have been funded by Doug’s close pals and the sales project organised by one of these men, Martin Patchett, of Blackpool.

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Doug (inset) said: “I’ve taken the pictures but my friends are running the calandar side and have worked really hard. For obvious reasons, these two charities are close to my heart.

“It was looking bleak for me, I was really ill and the cancer spread to my lungs and my liver - but I’m on new medication, Cabozantanib, and the doctors now say my condition is stable. I just take things as they come.”