Great Britain boxing hopeful Joe Hughes, who has taken a few whacks in pursuit of his art, felt wax of another painful kind at his local pub.

He was joined by four fearless friends, all regulars at the Borough Arms in Malmesbury, where they had their backs, legs and arms waxed and raised £400 for Macmillan Cancer Support .

One of group, Lee Newman, said: “It started as a bit of banter between us lads and the girls. But then it got serious when we said that we would have our legs and backs waxed if they raised £300.

“That must have been motivation enough for them as they got hold of the forms and raised the money. In the end we were left with no choice but to do it.

“There was a good crowd in and all enjoying our pain.”

The ‘torture’ was inflicted by trainee beauticians Stephanie Jarvis and Kitty Radcliffe from Chippenham College.

Landlady Geraldine Riggs said: “We decided we wanted to do something different for charity and this seemed like a great idea”

Macmillan fundraising manager Williams said “I am used to people doing extreme things for us, but having the hair ripped from your back, arms and legs in the middle of your local shows real dedication.

“We are really grateful to these lads, to Steph and Kitty and all the people who gave so generously.”

The pub will host a coffee morning on September 25 as part of Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.

For more information on the charity or the fundraising event log onto www.mac millan.org.uk