'Dan the beardy man' given charitable boost by radio star Chris Moyles
A man who grew his beard for a year in aid of charity was given a surprise boost by Chris Moyles.
Dan Tyler managed to raise more than £1,600 for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) after the radio and television presenter gave his cause a shout-out on Radio X before donating £50 himself.
Dan started growing his beard for CALM with his campaign, Dan the Beardy Man, in January 2020 after struggling with his own mental health and learning about the work the charity does to support those in need.
The 30-year-old engineer from Knighton braved the shave at the beginning of the year, letting his four-year-old son do the honours of cutting his beard, which had reached 150mm long.
“It was a bit daunting having my four-year-old coming at my throat area with a pair of scissors, but it went well,” said Dan.
“The main thing throughout the year was the moustache, once it reached a certain length eating became very difficult and I had to drink through a travel mug or have it all down my shirt – my wife wasn’t too keen on it either.”
Dan set up six collection buckets throughout his local area to raise money, organised prize give-aways and kept everyone up to date with his progress through daily photos to his social media, but was given an unexpected boost when Chris Moyles pledged his support.
“My sister-in-law sent him a letter about me having Christmas dinner with my in-laws for the very first time with this great big beard,” Dan said.
“Obviously due to the pandemic it didn’t happen, but Chris Moyles ranted about how it was the stupidest idea he’d heard and encouraged people to donate. He also donated £50 which was nice of him.”
