Dave Bigsby, 50, who works as a handyman at Scarborough SeaLIFE Centre, first came up with the idea for a rescue centre three years ago.
"The RSPCA brought some reptiles down,” he said. “One was a red-tailed boa. She’d been looked after poorly and had mites - and she was under-weight.
“We nursed her back to health and we called her Lilly. Unfortunately, she devloped lumps on her back which turned out to be an aggressive form of cancer.
"In the end we had her for just nine months, but we made sure that they were good ones.”
Mr Bigsby turned a room in his house into a reptile room and started to rescue all the reptiles he could from people who couldn’t afford to look after them.
This year, shortly before Christmas, he took in 12.
Mr Bigsby currently has reticulated pythons, various species of corn snakes, common boas, rainbow boas, milk snakes and bull snakes
He said: “I do lizards and all reptiles, anything reptilian I can take on.
As well as being a rescue centre, Mr Bigsby also sells accessories and offers boarding.
"We’re a not for profit company, we’re not about making large profits, we want to save people money - times are hard.
"I’m not bothered about the money we take in - this is about the animals.
"What I really want to do is make people aware there’s no need to dump animals in Scarborough, we take them in, no question’s asked.”
Mr Bigsby also offers reptile experiences so people who are wary or who want to find out more can sit down and talk to him aboutthe animals and handle/stroke them as a kind of animal therapy.
“We can start small and build up to the bigger ones if that’s what people prefer,” he said.
The centre also runs an animal adoption service where rescued animals are rehomed if suitable accommodation can be found.
Lilly the Red-tailed Boa and Reptile Rescue Centre can be found at 33 Victoria Road, Scarborough.
If you would like to help support the rescue centre visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/lilly-the-red-tailed-boa.
1. Lilly the Red-tailed Boa and Rescue Centre
Katie Eeles with one of the snakes Photo: Richard Ponter
2. Lilly the Red-tailed Boa and Rescue Centre
The rescue centre is based on Victoria Road in Scarborough Photo: Richard Ponter
3. Lilly the Red-tailed Boa and Rescue Centre
Katie Eeles tends to one of the animals Photo: Richard Ponter
4. Lilly the Red-tailed Boa and Rescue Centre
One of the lizards at the centre Photo: Richard Ponter