A BIG-HEARTED landlord is bringing joy to children in Wotton under Edge by visiting them dressed as a giant German shepherd police dog.

Andy Starling, who runs The Falcon in Church Street, has been popping round to see youngsters on their birthdays, dressed as Chase from Paw Patrol, on behalf of their parents who cannot hold parties because of the lockdown.

The boss of the popular steakhouse came across the furry costume when he was having a bit of a clear out.

He said: “I had the costume from when we used to do family fun days at the pub.

“I got it out and was thinking about selling it.”

Unable to make up his mind, Andy decided to try it on and go for a walk around the town.

To his surprise, he was greeted by cheers and plenty of drivers tooted their horns in support.

“So I put out a post on Facebook, asking if there’s any children who’ve got a birthday in the area and would like me to come and see them during lockdown,” he said.

“My Paw Patrol visits are in the double digits now.

“It’s really nice being able to make a child’s day.”

Delighted parents have posted praise for Andy’s birthday visits on the Wotton Noticeboard Facebook page.

One mum wrote: “A huge thank you to Andrew Starling at the Falcon Steakhouse for making my son’s birthday. He was absolutely over the moon and hasn’t stopped talking about it all day.”

Another posted: “Chase came to wish my son a happy third birthday today. He was speechless. Thank you Andrew Starling for taking the time to do this, made his day.”

And a dad said: “Got to give a massive shout out to a local business which has gone above and beyond to help make my little chap’s fifth birthday as special as possible in the current circumstances. Andrew Starling from The Falcon Steakhouse popped by and had a chat as Chase from Paw Patrol. My son’s smile said it all.”

The Falcon is currently closed but Andy has been running a weekly quiz every Friday during lockdown, which has had over 10,000 views.