A LAUREL and Hardy fanatic from Clayton-le-Moors has snared the exclusive rights to sell the pair’s official calendar in the UK.

The 2014 calendar will feature high-quality images of the legendary Hollywood funnymen and will be printed and distributed by Altham Academy Print and Design (UK) Limited.

David Green, 56, from the company, said: “My story is one of being a fan of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy ever since I can remember.

“In the 70s and 80s they were on television, sometimes only in half-hour slots, but they would still make everybody laugh in our household.

“Since then they have disappeared from our screens and fans have hunted everywhere for any little snippet of memorabilia they could find.”

David’s mum, Hilda, would put a calendar in his Christmas stocking every year but they went out of print in 2010.

When Hilda was diagnosed with dementia the following year, David tried in vain to find a calendar but to no avail.

“Late on in 2012 I decided to use my connections to produce a calendar myself,” he said. “It was at this point I realised how difficult it was and how many legal loopholes I had to go through.”

As a brand ‘Laurel & Hardy’ is licensed to several international companies and, after much hard work, David eventually came to an agreement with two organisations to produce a 2014 calendar in the UK and is negotiating for another the year after too.

David said: “All this has been done out of my interest in the two funniest comedians to have worked in Hollywood and without any help in international or copyright negotiations.

“My aim now is to expand my e-shop to make more items available, not everyday items like posters but something different like wallpaper or mosaics.”

The calendar is available for purchase online at www.laurel andhardycalendars.co.uk