ESSEX'S beard devotees met for their annual chinwag and chin-hair appreciation event at the weekend.
Members of the Essex Beardsmen descended on the Queen's Head in Lower Anchor Street, Chelmsford to swap stories and tips.
The club is one of around ten in the country, formed in 2008 after the World Beard and Moustache Championships were held in Brighton the previous year.
There, the contestants realised that while Britain had its prestigious Handlebar Club, there was none for those with beards – so it, and an Essex branch, was born.
Honorary president of The British Beard Club, David Dade, who came from Brighton for the event, said: "The principle is that we want to make new friends and have a drink and a meal, and if we can do something to support charities at the same time, then we will."
At Saturday's gathering, a £3,000 cheque was handed over to Prostate Cancer UK – just one of many payments made to charities in the past few years.
"After a while, we decided that we would charge a membership fee because doing that has a feeling of belonging," said David.
"We contribute to men's and children's charities."
In December, the Beardsmen took part in Decembeard, which saw the founders each pitch in £1 to go alongside the normal membership fees for new members, giving £310 to Beating Bowel Cancer.
But it is not all about raising money and facial hair.
David said: "The thing is there is a wonderful camaraderie between bearded blokes and their families.
"It's meant to be a social occasion and what happens is we get together and talk about things.
"There's a lot of interest in beer and brewing – quite a few are brewers.
"It helps people get together and be social and have a good time."
One such man who embodies that is 55-year-old gardener Frazer Coppin of Rivenhall.
"Smell that," he says, holding his triangular chin hair out.
"It's beard oil."
Dressed in a dapper brown suit, complete with waistcoat and hat, the Musketeer Beard Championship winner sits twirling his chest-length beard in his hands.
"I've grown it since 2004," he said, adding that it has now reached its "terminal" length.
"I could not be bothered to shave. It rips your face to pieces, it's awful.
"I have got all the equipment – oil, brushes and hairspray.
"I think it will stay with me for life. A man's beard is his birth right, it's part of being a man. It's part of me.
"A bunch of guys came up behind me and said 'you should have a licence for that'."
More information about the British Beard Club and the Essex group can be found at thebritishbeardclub.org
