A PRESTATYN garage boss who shaved off his signature beard for charity says his customers no longer recognise him – and his fiancée feels like she is cheating on him!

Nick Chadwick, manager of The Body Shop at Celtic Cars on Meliden Road, has raised £3,311.94 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool by shedding his beloved facial hair – but not without causing some confusion to his friends, family and customers.

The 34-year-old began growing his beard four years ago, but decided to shave it off after polling friends on social media – an overwhelming 79 per cent out of the 495 who voted said it should go. Nick said: “The last trim I had was on March 17 last year, so I’d been letting it all hang out – much to the dismay of my staff.”

However, there have been unforeseen consequences for his colleagues.

He added: “Usually my staff would tell people just to go and see the guy with the beard.

“Now they don’t know how to describe me to customers.

“People who’ve dropped a car off with me when I had a beard are wondering who this other guy is without a beard in possession of their vehicle.”

The new look has also created some unexpected issues with Nick and fiancée Nicole Roberts.

“I’ve never been with my fiancée without a beard,” he said. “I was worried... what if she didn’t like my face?

“Nicole has told me that she knows it’s still me, but she feels as though she’s cheating me – with me!”

Nick chose to support Alder Hey by way of a thank you for the care his three-year-old niece Bella Twist, received there. She was born with complications and spent the first few months of her life in the hospital.

She still visits Alder Hey regularly and attended the ‘Nick’s Off with His Beard’ event at Bar 236, helping one of the stylists from the High Society hair salon in Prestatyn High Street with the job of shaving off her uncle’s whiskers.

Nick said of his new clean-shaved look: “It’s still taking a bit of getting used to.

“I still go to stroke it (the beard) when I want to ponder something – and it is noticeably colder!

“It’s growing back nicely, but I don’t know if I’ll grow it back fully.”

To donate to ‘Nick’s Off with His Beard’, visit justgiving.co.uk//fundraising/captainnobeard