Grounds maintenance worker Dave Cook shed a few tears as well as losing body hair when he underwent a charity waxing at the Antelope Inn in Upavon on Monday.

In a weak moment, Mr Cook, 29, from Wilsford, had agreed to undergo waxing to remove hair from his chest but by the time waxing specialist Jackie Lyons of Bliss Hair and Beauty of Bath Road, Devizes, was done with him, he was even less hirsute than he’d bargained for.

Landlord Paul Moorby said: “He lost his eybrows and the hair from one of his armpits. He did suffer some pain but by the time Jackie was finished, he was a complete smoothie.

“He enjoyed the attention of the young ladies at the pub and smeared baby oil over his bare chest and went around with his shirt open.

“He did get a bit emotional at having raised so much money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

“We think it is in excess of £500 but we won’t know until the air ambulance appeal people come along and open the sealed bottle.”

Mr Cook underwent his ordeal outside the pub on Monday afternoon so that his screams did not upset other customers. His cries when the first waxing strip was torn away could be heard far and wide but he soon got used to the pain.

The matter arose when Mr Cook, who is the butt of jokes about his hairy chest, got talking to other customers about raising money for charity and, in a weak moment, said he would be happy to have the hair removed from his upper body and legs in aid of the air ambulance appeal.

Ms Lyons just happened to be in the pub at the time so Mr Cook was unable to backtrack.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Cook said he was still a little sore but he was delighted with the amount of money raised. He said: “It was a bit painful but it depended on how quickly whoever was tearing the strip off did it. If it was quick it was OK, if slow very painful.

“I said I might do it again towards the end of the year but never again. That’s the end of waxing for me.”

Instead, Mr Cook is planning something even more gruelling to raise money for the air ambulance next year. He is contemplating a 1,000-mile trek around Wiltshire, walking up to 36 miles a day.

The Antelope is now under the tenancy of Paul and Cindy Moorby, who formerly ran the Little House of Coffee in Devizes Market Place.

Their daughter Clair is in charge of running the Antelope, with help and advice from her parents.

They left last August and took over the Antelope in June. They are currently renovating the bedrooms at the inn and the first phase of three super king or twin rooms accommodation is hoped to be ready for occupation by the end of September.

The second phase of two more bedrooms will follow and the final three or four rooms will take another year to complete.