A Wrexham restaurant manager has endured a hair-raising body wax for charity.
Peter Cross, manager of Frankie and Benny’s at Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre, Wrexham, grimaced his way through a torso tormenting chest wax, back wax and – worst of all – an under arms wax.
The daredevil fundraiser volunteered to go under the hot waxing strips in a bid to raise £500 for the Rays of Sunshine charity which brightens the lives of seriously ill children.
It works to grant their wishes and has helped youngsters achieve feats such as meeting a favourite celebrity, going on a dream trip, driving a racing car, even becoming a postman for a day!
Peter is well on the way to achieving the target, having already been promised about £200 in sponsorship money from family, friends, work colleges and Frankie and Benny’s customers before he had the body wax done.
To prove to them that he had completed the tough challenge he went through the added ordeal of having part of the wax filmed on his mobile phone, bravely trying to stifle his pained hollers as the camera was on.
But he said every wax strip was worth it to help Rays of Sunshine.
He said: “They do great work. Only recently I heard how they helped a little girl achieve her wish of meeting a ‘mermaid’. The story even made me fill up.
“Any tears I shed during the body wax are nothing compared to what some of these children have had to go through.”
The wax was done at Gozo salon, Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre, which specialises in hair and body treatments for men as well as women.
Beautician, Sharon Murphy, who did the treatment, praised Peter’s courage.
She said: “We often get men having a back wax or leg wax for charity but very few go for the chest and under arms as well.
“Under arms is much more painful for men than women and the chest area is also very sensitive, so Peter was very daring having them both done as well as his back.
“We did it around lunchtime and then he went straight back to work afterwards, which I was really impressed with!”
Sharon has now volunteered to further help the fundraising cause by donating £5 to the charity for every man who books a chest or back waxing treatment after reading about Peter’s story.
She said: “All they have to do is book a treatment in the normal way, but if they tell me they came to us on reading about Peter and the Rays of Sunshine appeal, then I will give £5 to the charity for each booking we receive this way.”
Peter – who once doused himself in a bath of baked beans to help another charity – said he could not thank his sponsors enough for their support.
He said: “A lot of customers have shown a genuine interest in the charity and wanted to help. Every year Frankie and Benny’s nationally supports a charity and this year Rays of Sunshine is the beneficiary of all the events we are holding. It is an excellent cause and deserves every penny we raise.”
Peter has worked for Frankie and Benny’s for 15 years, and at the Eagles Meadows restaurant for the last seven years.
Eagles Meadow manager Kevin Critchley said: “I take my hat off to Peter for going through the pain barrier. The very idea made my eyes water but it’s all in a very good cause.”
