"If you give me your attention, I will tell you what I am: I'm a genuine philanthropist - all other kinds are sham..."

Hi guys, as you may already know, I've decided to shave my head to raise money for AICR, an international cancer research charity based here in St Andrews.

Here's a few facts and figures for those interested, and to help put things in perspective:

£10 - will enable a research scientist to grow cancer cells in a test tube.

£50 - will cover the cost of analyzing sample cancer tissue.

£100 - will pay for a computer analysis of the structure of an new cancer drug.

£1,000 - will allow a top scientist to examine the make-up of a cancer gene.

The reason for me doing this is kind of complicated; first off, my Dad is constantly complaining about the length of my hair (but, then again, he complains about everything, so I'm not sure how relevant that is), then, there is the fact that it does get in the way occasionally, especially during dissection.

The point at which I really started thinking about doing this was when my friends and I in the University's Gilbert & Sullivan Society decided that my hair in its current state wasn't nearly diabolical enough for my character in the upcoming produciton of Princess Ida (21st of April, in the Byre Theatre, hope to see a few of you there!).  As the hair was getting chopped off, I thought I might as well do it for a good cause!

Oh, and by the way, if I can get my hair to be at least 6 inches long before we cut it, then I'll donate it for wigmaking!

So, thanks for your time, and be sure to invite your friends, family, acquaintances, random strangers that you've somehow added on facebook etc.  Wish me luck with this, and also for everyone's favourite disagreeable man; King Gama!

"But although I try to make myself as pleasant as I can, yet ev'rybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!  And I can't think why!"