Lorry driver Allan Coombs has raised £1,400 for the Dogs Trust after not cutting his hair or shaving for a year.

Mr Coombs, 45, of Atcherley Road, Lower Compton, decided to become hirsute in memory of family pet Bonnie, a border collie who died in December 2012.

It took more than an hour for hairdressers Tanya Herbert and Sarah King to get Mr Coombs back to looking like he used to during a charity night on New Year’s Eve at The Talbot Inn, which added £350 to the fundraising total.

He said: “It was unbelievable, we had a cardboard box on the floor and we filled it. There was enough [hair] to stuff a cushion.

“It feels very weird. The first time I stepped outside after it was done I felt the cold. It wasn’t the best time of year to do it, but my missus won’t let me grow it back.

“A lot of people are saying ‘that’s the Allan we used to know’; they say ‘we have got you back’.”

Bonnie came to the family when she was five years old and was also cherished by Mr Coombs’ wife Debbie and 19-year-old daughter Rachel, who encouraged the fundraising challenge.

Now they have a seven-month-old border collie named Cassie, who is much more energetic than her predecessor who used to enjoy tugging Mr Coombs’ beard.

Mr Coombs, who works at the Hills Waste site in Compton Bassett, has been overwhelmed by the amount he has raised for the Dogs Trust, the largest dog welfare charity in the UK.

He said: “To me it’s massive because I’m dog mad, I love my dogs, and I love all dogs.

“My goal at first was £300, so I’ve gone well past that. It’s been a massive surprise. I thought some people would get behind me, but I always thought people wouldn’t worry about animals so much.

“After about five months I thought ‘I don’t know if I can go on with this’ because the warm weather kicked in.

“I was absolutely pouring with sweat but I kept looking at the picture of my dog and I thought ‘I have got to keep going’. It was a spur of the moment thing but I’m definitely glad I did it.”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.

com/Allan-Coombs or text BONN50 and the amount you’d like to donate to 70070.