LONG-TIME sideburns sporter Gary "Choppy" Coleman has shaved off his whiskers - all for charity.

Gary's distinctive facial, which he has had for fifteen years, have earned him the nickname of Choppy amongst his passengers and bus driver colleagues at First Southern National Buses in Weymouth.

The grandfather-of-nine from Franklin Road in Weymouth volunteered to shave his sideboards to raise money for the Claire Lemon Fund, a local charity which specialises in taking children with cancer on trips of a lifetime.

Gary, who is 59, said: "This is not the first time I've done it for charity, I did it fifteen years ago for Multiple Sclerosis."

"Some of my passengers don't recognise me and my colleagues say I look about ten years younger."

He added that he would like to thank everyone who sponsored him for the shave at the bus depot, raising a total of £660.

Gary has not yet decided whether to grow back his whiskers, but wife Pam likes them.

He said: "She says that she married me with them, so I should grow them back."