YOU have got the horseshoe, the garter and maybe even the silver sixpence.

But if you think you might need a little extra luck on your wedding day, a Latchford magician is reviving the traditional visit from a chimney sweep.

The custom is believed to date back to the 18th century, when a sweep dressed in work clothes with a soot-blackened face and a round brush makes an appearance at the ceremony to kiss the bride and bring good fortune.

Magician Cliff Cowling’s alter ego, Charlie Brush, has been entertaining newlyweds since 2009 when he decided to rekindle the tradition which has died out as chimney sweeps become a rarity.

“Very few chimney sweeps want to do this sort of thing now. It’s an old tradition and I would be very happy to help save it. I think it’s a fantastic British custom,” he said.

“I was trying to think of a way to make myself more appealing, I wanted something to give me an edge over others.”

Dad-of-two Cliff has been practicing magic since he was a child but the 54-year-old, who works in medical records at Warrington Hospital, said he enjoyed adding the chimney sweep character to his act.

And he must be doing something right because he is shortlisted as wedding entertainer of the year at bridebook.co.uk.

“I have never given much thought to awards before but to get down to the shortlist I was very surprised. It means a lot that brides voted me one of the best for their special day. It’s one of the best accolades I could have ever dreamed of,” he said.

At weekends it is not unusual for Cliff to travel hundreds of miles to appear at weddings and he has had some memorable experiences.

He added: “I’m being invited to one of the most important days in a person’s life and that’s really flattering – you have to do the best you can for them.

“Once I even got me behind the bar pulling pints for some of the guests.

“I was doing this one reception that was beautiful, candles and everything, and I thought nothing could go wrong. Everything’s going great and at the top table someone says ‘you’re on fire.’ I said, ‘thanks’. But they said, ‘no – you’re on fire’. My sleeve had caught one of the candles and my shirt was going up in flames. But I’m still enjoying it as much as I did when I started.”