An island resident is to head to Belgium to compete in a world championships, to determine the best beard.

Pete Snowden, 47, who lives in Douglas with his wife Mandy, is going to compete at the World and Moustache Championship in Antwerp which begins on May 17.

The couple will be travelling to the country for four days and while they ultimately want to have a good time, the aim is for a place finish in the up to six inch (measured from the bottom lip) category.

Pete explained to the Examiner how he came to decide to grow his beard and enter the world championships.

He said: ’I’ve had a beard for a number of years, but normally keep it quite short, but then we went to the British championships in Blackpool around my birthday last year and I decided to grow it out.

’Where it is now, it is about 12 months, maybe a bit less than that, worth of growth.’

Pete said that he looks after his beard through the use of natural oils such as coconut and almond, adding that the competition rules are very strict, and only naturally grown beards can be considered.

He is likely to face a lot of competition for places in Antwerp, as he said he is competing in one of the heavily contested groups.

Pete said: ’The category I’m in for, there are a lot of guys that enter, but for others such as the chops or Amish look, there are far fewer. They probably require a lot more dedication to it I suppose.

’We’ve just done a couple but there are people who go from competition to competition across the UK and further abroad.’

While the beard is important, it is obviously necessary to catch the eye of judges by standing out from the crowd.

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In this sense, much like darts, or perhaps even professional wresting, some people create personas or wear costumes to fit their facial hair.

This included one man, who Pete and Mandy showed a picture of, who had grown a beard so long he had been able, over several hours, to shape it into a bird cage.

Pete explained: ’Some guys do just turn up in jeans and a T-shirt and stand there.

’But we’ve seen some who go and wear a top hat and tails and walk with a cane because that’s the look they’ve created to go with their beard or moustache.’

Mandy added: ’We saw a guy in Blackpool, who for the freestyle event, had using wax products made his beard into the shape of the Blackpool Tower. Unsurprisingly, he won.’

Mandy added that Pete had taken some of the traits the competitiveness of the beard championships.

She said: ’I’ve noticed a change in the way he dresses, suits and boots, nice shirts and I really like it. I like when Pete and men in general take pride in their appearance and look smart.

’He is very protective with it.

’When he goes for a hair cut he says "just cut the hair, not the beard" and he takes great care in washing and combing it - it’s really great to see.’

As far as they know, Pete is the only island resident to be competing at the world championships.

While others have competed at the British championships this year he doesn’t believe any others are making the trip to Belgium.

However, he and Mandy have raised the idea of forming a Manx branch of the British Beard Club, given some of the fantastic beards sported in the island.

Following the world championship, he has plans to go on growing his beard and aim for the 12-inch category in next year’s British championship.