Awards keep coming for Michael - and his beard!

The dad-of-two (30), of Kimberworth, attended the event at St George’s Hall in Liverpool with hundreds of hairy hopefuls.

Michael’s beard, which he started as a bet six years ago, now measures 27 inches and requires a rigorous preening routine.

And it helped Michael to win the judges’ approval and take the contest’s title for best natural beard of more than 12 inches.

He said: “I’ve had a bit of a growth spurt since I was in the paper last time. 

“I won my category again, but because it’s so popular they had split the full beard category into different lengths.

“It meant I wasn’t up against as many people but, like they say, you can only beat what’s in front of you.”

Michael, who has two children - Hannah (6) and George (4) - with wife Toni, has won sponsorship deals with facial hair care firms Apothecary87 and Beardalizer.

He said: “If I’m going on a night out, I can easily take longer than the wife to get ready, with washing, drying and oiling the beard.”

Other categories at the event included best goatee, sideburns and fake beard, as well as a growing number of moustache sections.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the events are for charity,” said Michael, a cylinder operative for BOC in Brinsworth.

“To be honest, they’re like local meets for all the people on the scene.

“But this venue was stunning. It was very different from some of the pubs we’ve been to for events in the past. Again, it shows how popular it is now.”

Last year Michael was named as having the planet’s seventh best beard at the world championships in Austria.