It took a Rotarian four months to grow his six inch long beard for Santa appearances but it took hairdresser Matt Glover less than a quarter of an hour to very carefully shave off the whiskers.
It was a Valentine’s night charity beard removal for the appropriately named Peter Love, a member of Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club. More than 20 members were present to witness the occasion which was also attended by Alison Cope, regional fundraiser for Parkinson’s UK for which Peter will be donating the beard shave proceeds. He revealed that donations to date have already reached £1,300 – and are still growing.
“I shall now have to get used to a cold chin for the rest of the winter,” Peter said after the shave off by Matt of Risdon’s Barber Shop. I decided on the beard shave for Parkinson’s because my wife Pauline was diagnosed with the disease 22 years ago and although Pauline wasn’t feeling well enough to attend, she gave the beard a kiss before I left home. And fortunately, she still recognised me when I returned without it.”
His charity beard shaves go back several years when he felt that the growth of his own beard would give him a more authentic Santa appearance with the Rotary sleigh.
“I love being Santa, particularly for the switch on of Shrewsbury’s Christmas lights when hundreds of children queue up at the sleigh over a three hour period of time to reveal their hopes and expectations for Christmas. It is also a privilege to be Santa for the presentation of books that Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club provide at Christmas for pupils at a local primary school which hugely appreciates the support. The Santa appearances also include sleigh tours of the suburbs of the town as well as visits to local supermarkets providing shoppers with an opportunity to enjoy the experience. This was never more significant as last Christmas when Santa brought much needed happiness and joy to families struggling with the cost of living crisis.”
Peter added: “I would emphasise that I am not Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club’s only Santa, far from it, but I am the only current member who grows his beard specially for the role.”
His JustGiving page is still open: justgiving.com/page/peter-love-beard-shave
Said Alison: “We want to say a huge thank you to Peter Love for supporting Parkinson’s UK. He has worked really hard to raise over £1,000 so far from his sponsored beard shave. Peter’s wife Pauline was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 22 years ago. Without our amazing fundraisers, the work we do just wouldn’t be possible. Together we can drive forward pioneering research so that we can develop better treatments and a cure for the condition.”
