The yelps and grimaces of pain said it all.

But a few of us decided to brave the torture of having our bodies waxed to raise more money for the Kelly Turner Fundraising appeal.

I joined fellow masochists Nathaniel Richards, boss of the social supermarket Nifties, and members of the public Neil Lee and Mark Batson for the treatment at the Charlton Shopping Centre in Dover on Saturday.

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It was worth it. We raised up to £600 for Kelly, three-quarters of it in cash donations.
I was the first to put myself at the mercy of beautician Jenny Hill to have my legs waxed up to my knees.

"My legs are now as hairless as a billiard ball" - Reporter Sam Lennon after the charity leg wax

The gurning and grimacing expressions on my face were a picture.

First you have the soothing warm wax smeared on you, giving you a false sense of security. Then the paper strip is placed over the wax and suddenly ripped away causing that intense sting of pain. And it’s done again and again.

But thankfully the agony each time the paper tears the hair away only lasts a couple of seconds and once it is repeated it becomes less of a shock.

For a couple of hours afterwards I developed a tingling rash, as if I had just walked through a field of nettles but after that all the discomfort was gone. My legs are now as hairless as a billiard ball.

Nathaniel suffered more as he is a hairier specimen, with thick mats on his chest and back and even feet.

His yelps of pain echoed around the main hall of the shopping centre.

Family members were invited to tear the strips of hair off too so people like Nathaniel and Mark got double attacks.

He said afterwards: “The worst part was the waxing of my feet because they were so hairy it was difficult to get it all off. I’ll never do it again.”

VIDEO: Watch the people of Dover get waxed to raise money for Kelly.

Others joined in, for instance Sushman Gurung, shopkeeper at the centre’s Sushma Threading Bar, had her arm waxed.

She didn't appear to flinch - but then men aren't as used to this treatment and have more body hair to rip out.

Meanwhile Nifties voluntary worker John Manning had eight inches of his hair cut, having only ever had trims in the last seven years.

No doubt our dramatic reactions the pain caused amusement for others but it was worth going through the discomfort to help save a teenager girl’s life from cancer.

And we all knew that the little flashes of pain we suffered were nothing compared with the with the immense, gnawing and persistent pain that so many cancer sufferers of all ages suffer.

Kelly Turner, 16, of Dover, needs to raise £1 million for lifesaving surgery in America after she was diagnosed with Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) last October.

She needs the treatment within 18 month to survive.

Kentonline's sister paper, The Mercury is hosting an end of Summer Ball at The Courtyard Oyster Bar and Restaurant in association with the restaurant owners and Runashore Roving Diners Club on Friday, September 16 at 7.30pm. Anyone is welcome and tickets, costing £20, can be obtained by emailing admin@runashore.co.uk. Click here to reserve yours.

You can donate to Kelly’s treatment fund by cheque or cash to NatWest bank with the sort code 60 07 04 and the account number 39767000. Or you can donate at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/kelly-turner

To find out more about Kelly Turner’s campaign, search her name on Facebook, check out the hash tag #DoingItForKelly.