A shopping centre boss had a close shave as business became more cut throat than usual – but it was all in a good cause.
Kevin Critchley, the Manager of Eagles Meadow, in Wrexham, was one of the men from the centre who raised more than £2,000 in aid of prostate and testicular cancer.
Their hair-raising efforts were part of the Movember campaign which was also designed to raise awareness about men’s health issues.
Removal of Kevin’s luxuriant whiskers needed an expert with a steady hand.
He opted for a traditional wet shave with a cut throat razor at the Gozo men’s grooming salon in St George’s Crescent.
Appropriately, Gozo have a remarkable display of traditional wet shave razors, with some of them dating back 200 years.
The collection belongs to retired electrician Bob Gray, 79, who lives in Wrexham.
In all, Bob has more than 300 razors of all descriptions – nearly one for every day of the year.
Bob said: “I’ve been collecting razors for about 40 years – they were very popular in the War for the forces because they had to have a shave every morning.
“The interesting thing about razors is if you get a container full of razor blades and a container full of gold, the razor blades are worth more than the gold.
“I’ve been all over the country collecting them – you get them in car boot sales and the like.
“Years ago the blades sold in Wrexham would have the name of the barber on them. Some of the oldest razors I have must be 200 years old.
“In the old days a working man didn’t use a razor except on a Sunday when he went to Chapel, so they lasted for years.
“The gentry bought electric kettles, and they went out and bought solid silver electric kettles just to get shaving water so they wouldn’t have to light a fire.”
Thanks to a sensual scene in the James Bond blockbuster film, Skyfall, there has been a been a 405 per cent increase in the sales of wet shave razors.
British actress Naomie Harris gives 007, played by Daniel Craig, a close shave using a cut throat razor, whispering in his ear “sometimes the old ways are the best” as she performs the shave.
Gozo owner Sharon Hughes said there had also been an upsurge in interest in Wrexham, even before Skyfall came out.
She said: “Being shaved with a cut throat razor is increasingly popular today – it’s on most men’s wish list to have a wet shave with a cut throat.
“You actually have two shaves – one down and the other up with hot towels in between. We also moisturise the skin.
“Bob’s collection of razors is amazing and it’s a source of great interest to our customers.”
After initial trepidation, Kevin Critchley enjoyed his first ever experience of being shaved with a cut throat razor.
He said: “It feels absolutely wonderful. It’s so nice to remove that Movember growth.
“Growing the moustache was for a good cause, but my wife hated it, and my grandson wouldn’t give me a kiss because I was prickly.”
“There are quite a few who took part in the Movember campaign at Eagles Meadow, including our cleaning and security staff and men from a lot of the stores, including Debenhams, Boots, Tenpin and the Odeon.
“I would estimate that around a quarter of the blokes working at the shopping centre put the effort in and got the sponsorship.
“I think we’re probably up to around £2,000 as a total for Eagles Meadow. People have been very generous to me so I should be able to contribute £200.
“It’s certainly been worth all the itching, scratching and mickey taking.”
