Male carers Jamie Hughes and Ben Harrop now know just what their female nursing home colleagues endure when they have their legs waxed.

The pair, who are lifelong friends, volunteered to undergo the painful beauty treatment to raise funds to enhance the lives of the elderly people they help look after.

Mr Hughes, 22, is a care leader at Coombe End Court in London Road, Marlborough, the Orders of St John’s Trust care home where Mr Harrop, 23, is a carer. They both work on the Pearl Unit for patients with dementia.

Mr Hughes said: “We wanted to raise some money for the unit and somebody suggested having our legs waxed, so we decided to go for it.”

In front of colleagues and some residents in the Coombe End lounge on Tuesday last week, Swindon beautician Kate Averies, from Cosmic Colours, did the honours and gave the pair a leg wax.

Mr Hughes said: “It hurt but it wasn’t excruciating, although Ben found it more painful than I did. It wasn’t exactly comfortable having it done, but we both went ahead and did it.”

Among those watching were the family of the late Rita Bower from George Lane who was in the Pearl Unit for her final months. Her husband, David, made a contribution to the fundraising challenge.

Mr Hughes said: “We reckon we have raised about £700 and there is still more money to come in.”

The pair plan to use the money to enhance the lives of the residents in their 20-bed unit by brightening it up with new tablecloths and other soft furnishings and by creating a memory pool of old toys residents may remember from their own childhood.