WHAT do a bull, a policeman, a whippet, a man in a flat cap, a celebrity and a pint of beer have in common? They've all just helped a coast-to-coast walker double his charity sponsorship as he passed through the Yorkshire Dales.

John Phillips used his two-week annual holiday to complete the 180-mile trek from the Cumbrian coast to Robin Hood's Bay for the Parkinson's disease charity.

A friend who pledged sponsor money promised to double it if Mr Phillips could be photographed with a policeman, a bull, beer, a celebrity, a man wearing flat cap and a whippet so Mr Phillips, 37, contacted Richmond Tourist Information Centre .

Senior assistant Tina Coates swung into action and, with the help of the Greenwood family who farm at Walburn Hall, near Leyburn, and North Yorkshire police, she secured the photo shoot.

Mark Reid, author of the Inn Way series of walking books, agreed to be the celebrity.

Mr Phillips, who was brought up in Wiltshire and now lives in Greece, and his "props" lined up at Walburn Hall on Thursday of last week, his only day off.

Alongside him was PC Tim Heath, from Leyburn police, farmer David Greenwood, who obliging held a pint of ale and wore a flat cap, Mr Reid, Mr Greenwood's Limousin bull Majestic, and Trudy the whippet, owned by Lorna Peers, of Richmond.

"Tina has been so helpful and people were so keen to help me," said Mr Phillips.

After 122 miles of the route, he confessed to needing his day off. "It is really tough," he said.

Ms Coates said TIC staff were only too pleased to help. "We try our best to ensure that all our visitors get maximum enjoyment from their visit. Usually requests are for accommodation, but requests for assistance are quite common - not usually as bizarre as John's, though."

Mr Phillips took on the challenge as a tribute to his mother, who has suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years.