PHYSIOTHERAPIST Chris Oates has raised more than £200 for charity by bowing to his wife’s wishes and having his beard shaved off.

Father-of-four Chris, 45, works for Sky Blue Therapy and provides invaluable support for staff and patients at the Butterwick Hospice, in both Bishop Auckland and Stockton.

A few patients had told Chris they preferred him without his facial hair, and his wife Debra agreed, so he decided it was time to face the razor.

“I was originally going to do it for Movember but it was getting unmanageable so I decided to bring it forward,” said Chris, who lives in Blyth.

Gary Falconer, a day hospice patient at Bishop Auckland, shaved off half of the beard and Chris then went to the Butterwick’s Outreach Hospice at the Richardson Hospital in Barnard Castle to have the other half removed by his boss Kirsty Petley.

“I really wanted to do something for the Butterwick because I can’t emphasise enough how much it does for the local community.

“And when my wife said preferred me clean shaven, I thought I might as well kill two birds with one stone – keep the wife happy and raise money for a great cause at the same time,” Chris added.

Despite that, Chris says the beard is likely to make a comeback in time for Christmas.