Volunteers brave the shave to raise vital cash for Peterborough's Thorpe Hall Hospice

Four fantastic fundraisers braved the shave to raise vital cash for Peterborough’s Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

All four of the volunteers have had loved ones cared for at the hospice – and raised thousands for the good cause.

John McKie, (68) from Market Deeping, shaved his head and beard after mentioning to the landlord of his favourite pub, The Bull, that he was keen to do something for Sue Ryder. The landlord responded: “Why don’t you shave your hair off; I’ll give you £200!

So, on the June 19 , after having his long hair for 54 years, John was back in The Bull packed with friends and locals, and had his head shaved by local barber, Lee Markey.

John said: “I was nervous, but once the shave started I settled down and away it went!"

John raised £2,035.01.

Andrew Louth, (54) from Whittlesey, had his head shaved on 21 st April, one day before the funeral of his long-term partner, Sandra.

The last time Andrew had his hair cut was before the first lockdown, in a bid to keep Sandra safe. Sandra was a volunteer in the Thorpe Hall Hospice shop but had to stop due to her progressing illness.

She received care from the Hospice at Home team, allowing her live out her final days in the comfort of her own home.

Andrew’s head shave raised £1,555 for the hospice, which included £500 charity match funding from his employer Forterra.

Andrew donated his hair to the Little Princess Trust. When asked what he thought of his new hairstyle, he replied: “I’m not sure I will go for it again, but I am glad I was able to do something positive with my hair, whilst raising money for charity. I think Sandra would be

glad I have tidied myself up though! She did mention it quite a few times to me!”

Adrian Wright, (61) from Barnack, shaved off his long hair in memory of his father-in-law Ralph. He hadn’t had a haircut since before the pandemic hit, but decided it was time to shave his “lucky hair” to raise funds for Sue Ryder.

Adrian said: “It still is strange, but people say it’s taken years off me. My family didn’t like me much with long hair.”

Adrian raised an incredible £1,093, which included £500 match funding from his employer, Vodafone.

Phoebe Miller, a student from Henley, chose to celebrate her 21 st birthday slightly differently this year, by shaving her head in memory of her aunt Lisa who was cared for by Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

Phoebe’s friends and family bid to cut off sections of her hair and she had their support at home on 25th June as her head was shaved. When asked about her new hair style, Phoebe said: “I’m loving my new look – it’s very easy and I keep making jokes to my friends that I’m going to be late because I’ve got to ‘do my hair’! I’m not going to wear a wig as I want people who are losing their hair to feel OK and know it’s not something to feel ashamed about. I’m going to keep it short for a while and fully embrace it.”