Beating Bowel Cancer hopes to raise £145,000 this month with its Decembeard campaign. The Daily Echo’s chief reporter Darren Slade explains why he has taken on the charity’s chin-itching challenge.

IN recent times, I’ve known two colleagues with bowel cancer.

Our former reporter Julie Magee wrote powerfully in this paper about her surgery and recovery.

My former editor Neal Butterworth was not so lucky.

Practically every day, there’s a moment when I suddenly remember that Neal – my energetic and enthusiastic boss for 20 years – is dead. And that seems all wrong.

Neal was a funny guy. He could even tell laugh-out-loud stories about the very unfunny business of being diagnosed with cancer.

So I think he would have appreciated the absurd spectacle of people sprouting facial hair for Beating Bowel Cancer’s Decembeard campaign.

My own beard is certainly raising a few laughs, and it’s also going to raise some money.

It might just pay a tiny part in ensuring that some other funny, energetic, enthusiastic people stay around to share their gifts with the world a bit longer.

To support Darren, left, visit website justgiving.com/darren-slade