A FUN-LOVING father-of-two was tickled pink with his new-look beard.

Craig Billington, aged 41, of Forest Drive, Westhoughton, was inspired to dye his beard pink for charity when he saw Nottingham Forest defender Danny Fox sporting a bleach blonde one.

The footballer had dyed his facial hair to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis (CF) and £25,000 in memory of his late friend Paul Williams.

He wrote a tribute to his pal — who was born with the genetic condition — and wants children born with it now to ‘look towards a future where their life chances and aspirations are not compromised by having CF’.

Mr Billington, an electrician, said: "The week before Christmas, Nottingham Forest were playing a game live on Sky and one of the players had a bleach blonde beard.

"I thought, that's got to have something to do with charity.

"I didn't fancy a marathon, I'm not fit enough.

"I know various families who have lost people with various cancers so I decided to donate it to Cancer Research UK.

"I went to Wetherspoons in Westhoughton that night and I got another £20 just off strangers in the pub when I explained why I had it that colour."

Mr Billington, married to Lucy, spent two months growing the beard and it took Connor Butterworth four hours to dye it pink at Conflix Salon, St Helens Road.

Mr Billington, father to eight-year-old Ralph and Matilda, aged six, said: "People have been saying it was better than it was before.

"There is still a bit in it.

"It was probably more a purple-pink, I got off quite lightly.

"It takes quite a while to go, it's still got flashes of purple in it."

People could also shave a strip of Mr Billington's hair off for a £5 donation and he has so far raised £600.