A BIG-hearted group of friends let the whiskers above their top lips grow and raised more than £1500 for Wirral Hospice St John's.

Colin Middlebrough, who volunteers at the hospice, was among a group of friends calling themselves the 'Mo Thatchers' who grew their moustaches during Movember to raise funds for the charity.

A former bank manager, Colin has dedicated his spare time to work at the hospice for the past seven years.

He counts all the change that is donated via collection boxes all around Wirral and all the extra cash that is given at flag days, bag packs and hospice special events, like the annual Light up a Life carol service last Sunday.

Colin and pals, Keith Paul and Matt (pictured with Colin) alongside Paul and Gary (too shy for a photo) meet every week in The Wheatsheaf pub in Raby Mere and Colin inspired them all to get behind Movember.

They christened themselves the ‘Mo Thatchers’ for the month and at the last count they had raised over £1500 with some donations still to come in.

Colin, from Bromborough, said: "It’s such a privilege to volunteer at Wirral Hospice St John's.

"All the lads know the great service the hospice provides and I think it was after just a couple of 'refreshments' that the idea was hatched to do a little bit more through Movember.

"We had a lot of laughs and have to thank all our family and friends for their support and generosity too.

"We might go for beards next year!"

Wirral Hospice St John's has cared for thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses and their families for 35 years.

The hospice costs in the region of £5million to run each year

It receives some NHS funding for specialist palliative care services but the majority of its income comes from the generosity and support of individuals and businesses in Wirral.

More than 500 volunteers support the work of the Hospice in a wide range of ways; preparing food and drinks for inpatients, taking part in activities with Wellbeing Centre patients, flower arranging, gardening, office administration, selling lottery tickets, working in the organisation's charity shops and supporting fundraising events.