Mourners have said good-bye to Maidstone-born TV presenter Tony Hart.

Close family and friends gathered at a small church in Shamley Green in Surrey, where he lived for more than 40 years.

As they entered the church, the congregation used coloured paints to daub a canvas in memory of the artist, who died 11 days ago.

The illustrator and TV presenter passed away peacefully in his sleep earlier this month. He was 83.

Born in Hastings Road, Maidstone, in 1925, Mr Hart received his own art training at the Maidstone College of Art in St Faith’s Street - now the Adult Education Centre.

But he went on to inspire countless generations of children to draw through such programmes as Vision On, Take Hart, Hartbeat and Smart Hart. His TV career spanned 50 years, during which time he designed the logo for the Blue Peter series and created the puppet characters Titch and Quackers and the famous plasticene Morph.